From Solitude to Solidarity : An Artistic Shift Towards New Spirits | 21 October - 19 November 2023

Overview

This exhibition is a captivating collection that takes viewers on a profound journey through the depths of grief and the transformative power of human connection. With each piece, the artist masterfully captures the raw emotions of solitude and loss, guiding us towards the hopeful discovery of new bonds. Through a symphony of colors, textures, and forms, this collection serves as a poignant reminder of our shared mortality, while offering solace and healing in the embrace of solidarity. As we navigate the landscapes of sorrow, the ethereal hues of the rainbow act as a spectral bridge, connecting us to the departed and reminding us of the enduring spirit that transcends this world. Amidst the emotional terrain, the resilient green cactus emerges, a symbol of new beginnings and the strength of love. It thrives amidst barrenness, a testament to the enduring power of connection and the vibrant beauty that emerges from even the harshest environments. "From Solitude to Solidarity" is not just an exploration of death; it is a celebration of life's precious moments, the resilience of the human spirit, and the transformative journey from grief to love.

From Solitude to Solidarity: An Artistic Shift Towards New Spirits

21 Oct – 19 Nov 2023

Venue: Gallery Jeeum

LG-01, Office Block One, DB North Plaza, 92 Siena Avenue, Discovery Bay, Hong Kong

Opening Hours: Tuesday-Friday, 11am to 5pm; Saturday-Sunday, 11am to 6pm

Gallery Jeeum is pleased to present the opening of From Solitude to Solidarity: An Artistic Shift Towards New Spirits by Korean artist Yeaji LEE on October 21, 2023. This is Lee’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong, featuring the artist’s latest set of paintings that takes viewers on a profound journey through the depths of grief and the transformative power of human connection.

Lee’s paintings of dreamy hues and animal characters with big puppy eyes may appear to be straight out of an innocent fairytale but if you care to stay longer and savour each painting one by one, they are a great poetic and philosophical feast for the senses filled with paradoxical combinations of the real and imaginary; happy and sad; fear and protection etc. Underneath the fictional-looking scenes are intricate depths of human emotions and inevitable daily affairs stemming from the artist’s own experiences and relationships with intimate and loved ones.

While on the façade, we see the various bright, gradient skies alluding to the cheery and radiant, in between the interactions of the animal characters and the many secret codes planted by the artist reveal an obvious impression of melancholy. In one painting, a caged rabbit shooting arrows to an already wounded rose bud surrounded by little birds may be a gentle reminder to how one is prone to directing their dismay to closed ones through hardships. In another is a weeping rabbit, again surrounded by smaller birds, looking eye to eye with a mirrored crying bird, suggesting that however different we may all seem to be, the process of mourning and recovering is the same in times of sadness.

Different animal characters gather for warmth from the burning fire but more importantly from one another while beneath them is a bird found lying on her back surrounded (again) by curious, nonchalant smaller birds. There are times when we are on our own but family and loved ones are never truly absent. After all, companionship provides a safe sanctuary for us to be who we truly are, to feel the emotions that our body tells us to, which is the most basic act of kindness we can do for ourselves and others; to embrace it all, good or bad.

Among the many secret codes include the artist and her family’s favourite activities and elements that speak to them personally, like the dancing shooting stars in the background, shining, shimmering, beamed with wishes; layered gigantic clouds in the shape of a heart, soft but dense and steady enough to carry the gloomy group of three, a peacefully, closely resting group of 5 or the isolated yet hopeful rabbit catching a star.

Sorrow is something that every one of us has to deal with, often on a day-to-day basis. And the authority to turn grief through and to love is always in our own hands. The recurring motif of a green cactus is a witness to surviving even the most severe situations. They continue to stand tall and branch up beautifully with determination albeit being barren. It is important to stay resilient so that life goes on no matter what hits us every day, to sustain the momentum to move forward to grasp on to this mythical yet cruel world, not far from reality, portrayed through Lee’s scene after scene.

It’s ok to be sad. Not all cherished moments have to be solely happy, free from the undesirable. Just as picture books are thought to be catered to children or to the less intelligent as they are without words, fairytale-like paintings, those with less explanations, are also just as powerful, created for and more acutely comprehended by the more mature audiences as they have gone or are constantly going through the bittersweet taste of life.

The continued push and pull of heartbreak and resilience in the sentimental adventures that Lee takes us on render the artist’s paintings genuinely poignant, bitterly romantic, which are all an extension of the artist’s organic emotions surviving through solitude and loss, eventually onto the road of new, illuminating discoveries, of one’s own and the relationships with those around them.

Don’t be shy. Come closer. Take a moment to shed a tear or allow the corners of the lips to be lifted, whatever you feel like. Where do you see yourself in this mythical world?

About Yeaji LEE

Yeaji LEE graduated from Tsinghua University and The China Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing, China with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Art Design and a master’s degree in Mural Painting respectively. She is currently studying Public Art - Mural at CAFA. Since 2018, she has exhibited in solo and group shows at galleries in Seoul, Busan, Hong Kong, Beijing, Singapore etc. She has also received several awards since 2014 such as the 2014 Grand Watercolor Art Exhibition of Korea (Gold Prize) and 2020 China Government Project – Shenzhen Subway Public Arts Design (Hehua Station).