This fall, Opera Gallery Dubai continues in its mission to promote young international artists whose work is at the forefront of the global art scene. Korean artists Mari Kim and Lee Dong-Uk both live and work in Seoul - Mari, after a 10 - year hiatus to study in Australia. Despite their youth - Mari is 35 and Lee 31 - both artists have already cultivated well-established careers and reputations that outreach Korea.

As this exhibition demonstrates, each Mari and Lee’s artwork is concerned with how the self is perceived in the contemporary world. Mari presents a feminist spin on this question, encouraging viewers to ask how these pretty ‘eyedoll’ faces are defined by and rebel against a misogynist world, while Lee deals with the loss of the individual due to modern technology and the correlated issue of large-scale violence.

Many of Lee Dong-Uk’s works depict violence and war. He links technology with violence, recalling the Cold War space race. Other subjects include catastrophes such as train and plane crashes (Train landscape and Dilemma, respectively) and acts of political violence such as the terrorist attacks of September 11 th (Untitled) and war (Clouds of war). Lee’s paintings reveal a loop in which society’s technologies are used as ammunition against the modern order that created them, not only by rogue groups, but also by governments. What first strikes a viewer about Mari and Lee’s works are their bright colours and attractive forms and figures. However, embedded within this alluring shell, though, lie bold statements against power and chauvinism, be that of the political or sexist variety. This message is enrobed in styles specific to Korean pop art but remains relevant worldwide. Opera Gallery Dubai, is delighted to invite you to explore these works in all their beauty and complexity.