sooim lee 이 수임
sooim lee (b. 1954, Seoul, Korea) moved to New York in 1981 and continues to live and work in New York. She received a B.F.A. and M.F.A. in Painting from Hong-Ik University in Seoul (1976 and 1978, respectively) and a M.A. in Printmaking from New York University (1984). Recent performance: Calling Back, Calling Forward, From This Blanket, Print Center New York, NY (2024); Recent solo exhibition: SOO IM LEE: across time and place, Art Projects International, New York (2017); Recent group exhibitions include 30 years: Art Projects International, NY (2023); Color as Space, Art projects International, NY (2022); Paper and process 3, Art projects International, NY (2021); New works, Art projects International, NY (2019); Summer selections, Art projects International, NY (2018); Marking 2, Art Projects International, NY (2016); Summer Selections, Art Projects International, NY (2014); Curate NYC, Rush Arts Gallery, NY (2013); Intersecting Lines, Art Projects International, NY (2012); 911 Arts: A Decade Later, Commons Gallery, New York University (2011), Absence, Queens Museum of Art: Partnership Gallery, NY (2010); and Irrelevant, Arario Gallery, NY (2010).
The human body can serve as a language to convey something that otherwise cannot be expressed in words. Many use the human body to challenge cultural ideas and assumptions about beauty and social image. At its very core, the human body represents one’s very own freedom.
Most of my paintings focus on the human form and try to explore the ways we interact, whether it is with ourselves, with others, or with our surroundings. Some paintings are lonely, while others are more jovial. Connectivity is a prevalent theme in many of my paintings. In a world where technology tries to constantly keep us connected, many of us choose to do so behind glowing screens in isolation. Are we truly more connected with each other as a species, or have we become slaves to the technology that we’ve created?
Over the years, my work has progressed and evolved quite significantly. In particular, the human form that exists in my most recent works is less representational and more abstract. In fact, human form may be a misnomer, and perhaps a better way to describe the elements of my paintings would be through words like vessels, entities, or cells. And while the evolution of my work appears quite apparent on the canvas itself, the themes of human interaction and solitude are still very much present. They are a mixed batch of emotions with varying levels of intensity, kind of like the difference between candlelight and a bonfire and all the little flames in between. I try to undress reality down to its bones and portray others and myself as I see them, without all the distractions that can get in the way.
Most of my paintings focus on the human form and try to explore the ways we interact, whether it is with ourselves, with others, or with our surroundings. Some paintings are lonely, while others are more jovial. Connectivity is a prevalent theme in many of my paintings. In a world where technology tries to constantly keep us connected, many of us choose to do so behind glowing screens in isolation. Are we truly more connected with each other as a species, or have we become slaves to the technology that we’ve created?
Over the years, my work has progressed and evolved quite significantly. In particular, the human form that exists in my most recent works is less representational and more abstract. In fact, human form may be a misnomer, and perhaps a better way to describe the elements of my paintings would be through words like vessels, entities, or cells. And while the evolution of my work appears quite apparent on the canvas itself, the themes of human interaction and solitude are still very much present. They are a mixed batch of emotions with varying levels of intensity, kind of like the difference between candlelight and a bonfire and all the little flames in between. I try to undress reality down to its bones and portray others and myself as I see them, without all the distractions that can get in the way.
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