Project Space
Discourse
Jae Lee
June 17, 2016 – July 16, 2016
Jae Lee’s works capture special stories of trivial, mundane or disappearing things that are detected in her life. Even though they are not flashy or leave profound impressions, they contain unique histories that create extraordinary images. Lee has been collecting various kinds of plants from her garden and letting them dry naturally. Eventually, they are transformed—twisted, faded, and curved. While working on the project, she came across a picture of a mummy in a magazine. Its black rotted body made her cringe and feel very uncomfortable, but the more she stared at it, it occurred to her that we will, one day, look like the mummy. Also, the black transformed body bears some resemblance to her dried flowers. Everything,living or non-living, in the world shares the same cycle.
Jae Lee was born in Seoul, Korea and has lived and worked in Toronto since 2001. She studied drawing and painting, and sculpture in Hong Ik University in Seoul, Korea from 1980 to 1984. Then, she receivedMFA from the same university in 1989. Jae earned another BFA from OCAD U in 2007. Since then, Jaehas been working at Open Studio as a lithographer. Jae has five solo exhibitions and has participated in numerous group shows in Seoul and Toronto, including the group shows, What Lies Beneath and O.W.N. at Open Studio, and The Print Show at John B Aird Gallery. She participated in the Banff Artist inResidence 2D spring program at The Banff Centre, Alberta.