Artsonje Center is pleased to present Lee Bul’s solo exhibition from September 9 to November 4, 2012. Lee Bul’s first solo show, which took place at Artsonje Center in 1998, has grabbed the attention of the contemporary art world, and since then Lee has expanded her artistic practice based on her critical insight on historical and social phenomena. By re-inviting the artist 14 years after her first show at Artsonje Center, the exhibition traces Lee’s artistic journey and provides a platform to open up a new chapter in her practice.
The exhibition presents her new work Via Negativa, a large-scale installation which reflects Lee Bul’s ongoing survey and exploration on intelligent and visual structures. Via Negativa refers to a theological term for the attempts to describe what God, divine good or the ideal is by negation, going beyond the realm of ordinary perception and conventional thinking. Lee’s conceptual exploration on the modern architectural movements, which reflect the desires for utopia, is intertwined into the structure, and the mirrors installed in various angles create a path like a circular maze. Via Negativa offers an opportunity to the audience to discover a way towards their own utopia by experiencing the work that transcends the conventional methods.
The new version of Bunker (M. Bakhtin) (2007~), part of Mon grand recit series,is shown at the exhibition. Bunker is an installation that converges the stories of Lee Gu, the last heir of Joseon dynasty, re-articulated by the artist. Lee Gu is one of the most unfortunate figures in recent Korean history; the dictatorship of Park Chung Hee summoned Lee Gu, who was working as an architect in the US, on the pretense of restoring the Joseon Dynasty. He led an unhappy life in Korea under Park’s oppressive regime and eventually died in Tokyo. The Korean history, relayed through the scope of Lee Gu’s life, is reconstituted by a variety of sounds, which then fuses with the sounds from the audience. The version of Bunker created for this exhibition has mirrors installed within that by reflecting the work itself and the viewers has the effect of intersecting history with the present.
Lastly, Lee Bul’s expanding and evolving artistic spectrum is presented in the studio section. The studio section features about 220 drawings and models, including Cyborgs and Anagrams series, Mon grand recit (My Grand Narrative) series and the latest Secret Sharer, anddraws the trajectory of the artist's reflection on the ideal and the real for last decades. In addition, the structurally modified exhibition space functions as an artwork that represents Lee’s artistic practice. The studio section highlights the exhibition that integrates Lee Bul’s past, present and future.
Lee Bul has been featured in solo exhibitions throughout the world, including Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (2012); Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris (2007); Domus Artium, Salamanca (2007); Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney (2004); Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow (2003); The Power Plant, Toronto (2002); MAC, Galeries Contemporaines des Musees de Marseille, Marseille (2002); and New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York (2002). In 1999, Lee was awarded a prize at the 48th Venice Biennale for her contribution to both the Korean Pavilion and the international exhibition in the Arsenale curated by Harald Szeemann. She was also a finalist for the 1998 Hugo Boss Prize.
