Lehmann Maupin Gallery will inaugurate its first international exhibition space with a solo show of new works by Lee Bul. Considered to be the leading Korean artist of her generation, Lee Bul has achieved international recognition for her formally inventive, intellectually provocative work and her mastery of diverse media from drawing and performance to sculpture, painting, installation and video. The inaugural exhibition will focus on her drawing practice, featured alongside two new painted sculptures, marking the first time that the artist, academically trained in sculpture, has incorporated painting into her sculptural work.

The renovation of the gallery space in the Pedder Building marks Lehmann Maupin's third collaboration with Pritzker-prize winning architect Rem Koolhaas, recently appointed as the curator of the Venice Biennale 14th International Architecture Exhibition (2014). The design incorporates original architectural elements of the building and is conceived to reveal rather than conceal “the patina that distinguishes the historic building from its more glossy neighbors” (OMA). In 1996, OMA was charged with redesigning the gallery's first location at 39 Greene Street in New York's SoHo neighborhood. Six years later, when Lehmann Maupin moved to its current home at 540 West 26th Street in Chelsea, the firm oversaw the redesign of the 6,000plus square-foot space. OMA is responsible for a number of prestigious projects throughout Asia, including the CCTV Headquarters in Beijing, Shenzhen Stock Exchange, Taipei Performing Arts Center, Samsung Child Education & Culture Center, and Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul.

About the Artist:

Born in 1964, Lee Bul grew up in Seoul, Korea, and received a BFA in sculpture from Hongik University. Considered the leading Korean artist of her generation, she has achieved international renown for her formally inventive, intellectually provocative oeuvre. Demonstrating virtuosity across diverse media – from drawing and performance to sculpture, painting, installation, and video – her multifaceted production is representative of the most innovative aesthetic currents shaping contemporary art in the global sphere.

Image: © Lee Bul, Lehmann Maupin Gallery