Artsonje highlights Lee Bul's artistic process
By Joon Soh
Mixing together such different elements as critical theory, cyberpunk, anime and even the artist’s pet dog, the sculptures and installations of Lee Bul usually leave a strong, if sometimes confusing, impression. Her conceptually elaborate works can often be challenging to figure out and this ambiguity can be frustrating as well as enjoyable.
Lee’s latest exhibition at the Artsonje Center in downtown Seoul is firmly in the former category. The two rooms that make up the show present an entertaining blend of seriousness and multimedia fun.
Since the 1990s, Lee has been an important member of the Asian contemporary art scene. This latest show is the 48-year-old’s first at Artsonje since holding a major solo exhibition there in 1998.
This exhibition divides Lee’s works into two large rooms on separate floors of the gallery. The first room, titled “The Studio,” is comprised of 220 drawings, models and preparatory studies.
The models and drawings are derived from some of the artist’s better known series, such as “Cyborg,” where science fiction intersects with the female body, and the grotesquely organic “Anagrams.”
In one corner of “The Studio” are 29 abject maquettes of various medium and color. Laid out in rows, they provide evidence of the work that went into creating “Secret Sharer,” Lee’s recent crystal-and-mirror sculpture of a dog in mid-vomit that is based on the artist’s own pet.
Various smaller works clutter up “The Studio” space, and Lee finds a rather novel solution to bring these separate nuggets of information together. Using wooden boards and ramps to cover the floors and climb the walls, Lee transforms the room into a spacious cavern.
Visitors are encouraged to climb and meander to get a better look at the models and drawings. In this way, what could have been a dry presentation of minor works is turned into an exercise in artistic spelunking.
“The Studio” is a generous glimpse into Lee’s methodology. At the same time, it also allows visitors to play an active role in bringing order to the artworks, making connections and drawing conclusions.
The second room of the exhibit stands in stark contrast to the first. Mirrors and black curtains cover the floor and walls respectively and give the space a sparse, ominous mood. The room is mostly barren save for three self-sufficient structures, the first of which visitors have to climb through to get into the room.
In the room, the viewer is confronted with an obsidian fiberglass structure titled “Bunker (M. Bakhtin).” Inside the structure is a headset that echoes back one’s voice, electronically distorted in different ways. According to the exhibition pamphlet, the interactive sonic elements are conceptually derived from the tragic life and frustrated ambitions of Yi Gu, a 20th century Korean architect.
The other structure is “Via Negativa,” a small labyrinth made of mirrors and wood, with pages from archeological and psychological books plastered on its side. The title refers to attempts to describe God by negation, and visitors may feel a similarly dislocated and claustrophobic sensation while attempting to weave through the tight, mirrored space.
The exhibition will be at the Artsonje Center in downtown Seoul through Nov. 4. Entry is 5,000 won for adults. For more information, call (02) 733-8945 or go to www.artsonje.org.