Lee Bul's dystopian utopia on view in London
Lee Bul's "Cyborg" and "Monster" series and "Civitas Solis II" (2014) on view at the Hayward Gallery in London where the artist's solo exhibition "Lee Bul: Crashing" is ongoing through Aug. 19 / Courtesy of the artist and Hayward Gallery
By Kwon Mee-yoo
LONDON ― Korean artist Lee Bul, the first female artist to represent Korea at the Venice Biennale in 1999, is known for exploring the theme of utopian and dystopian possibilities and the question continues at the Hayward Gallery in London, where Lee's solo exhibition is currently on view.
Titled "Lee Bul: Crashing," the 54-year-old artist transforms the gallery space into a somewhat futuristic yet dreadful vision of a utopia.
The gallery was founded in 1968 with a retrospective on French artist Henri Matisse, and Lee's exhibit is held on the occasion of the gallery's 50th anniversary. Lee became the second Korean artist to host a solo exhibition at the Hayward Gallery, following avant-garde artist Nam June Paik in 1988.
"Lee Bul's ongoing engagement with utopian modernism pairs perfectly with the democratic aspirations of the Hayward's own adventurous architecture. Throughout the exhibition Lee Bul uses the distinctive design of the gallery as a collaborator rather than a backdrop," Ralph Rugoff, director of Hayward Gallery, said in a statement.
The mid-career survey features 118 works of the artist, from video clips of her early performances in the 1980s to the latest ones premiering at Hayward Gallery.
Lee Bul's "Willing to be Vulnerable ― Metalized Balloon" (2015-16) / Courtesy of the artist and Hayward Gallery
The exhibit drew unexpected attention even before the opening. Originally "Majestic Splendor," an installation piece consists of sequined and beaded rotting fish, was included in the exhibit, but the piece spontaneously combusted just ahead of opening and was removed with the artist's approval.
This is not the first time for the odoriferous artwork to be removed from an exhibit -- "Majestic Splendor" is one of the works that made Lee renowned internationally when it was first presented at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1997. But even back then, the installation had to be removed ahead of schedule because its smell made visitors nauseous.
Upon entering the gallery, visitors encounter Lee's iconic "Cyborg" series suspended in the first room. First introduced in 1998, the series shows the artist's interest in human-technology hybridity through figures of the female body combined with machine parts.
Also on view is Lee's "Monster" series, which was created around the same time as the cyborgs, but in much more organic shapes. The artist describes them as "our fear and fascination with the uncategorizable, the uncanny."
In the second room are Lee's early works, where "Majestic Splendor" was previously displayed. Most notable in this room are videos and photos of Lee's performances.
Her early performances were rather provocative, well-represented in her 1989 performance "Abortion." Lee addressed the issue of women having control of their body three decades ago, by hanging from the ceiling for hours.
The exhibit also provides background information on women's movements and art as well as political and social history of Korea that shaped Lee's artistic world, in the time when the world's attention is centered on Korea following the historic inter-Korean summit in April.
Lee Bul's “Via Negativa II" (2014) / Courtesy of the artist and Hayward Gallery
On the second floor, "Willing to be Vulnerable -- Metalized Balloon," a 17-meter-long silver blimp, is suspended above a silver mirrored floor. The artist questions the two sides of technology -- optimistic and pessimistic -- with a reference to the 1937 Hindenburg disaster that killed 36 people and brought an end to the vehicle which was once an icon of state-of-the-art technology.
“What interests me is how people in the past envisaged their utopian future,” the artist is quoted saying.
One of the new works on view is inspired by the ferry Sewol disaster that took over 300 lives and still is an ongoing issue in Korea. Lee approached the tragedy in a rather poetic way. "Scale of Tongue" (2017-18) vaguely reminds of the shape of a boat hull and is covered in pieces of thin fabric which slightly but continuously flutters as if beckoning from the inside.
Visitors line up to get into Lee's mirrored labyrinth "Via Negativa II" in the last room. The mirror maze with numerous lights creates an illusion of infinite dimensions and visitors walking through the installation will experience disorientation from the visual illusions and fragmented reflections.
The artist commented on fragmentation that it is "the only possible way for me to arrive at something we might agree upon as a general experience."
The exhibition continues to the toilet and outdoor terrace of the gallery. Lee installed "Artoilet," which features photocopies of one of Lee's early performances, in the gallery's public toilet and adorned the exterior of the building with crystal and glass on steel wire titled "Weep into Stones."
The exhibit runs through Aug. 19. Visit southbankcentre.co.uk for more information.