Lee’s trademark drawing animations explore the relationships between the drawn line, the imaginative transformation, and the moving image. Her animations are a series of spontaneous black and white pencil drawings that repeat the process of erasing and redrawing on paper, continuously leaving traces of the previous frame. The artist repeatedly sketches and erases the drawing, then converts the process of the transformation into moving image. Developed through autonomous ideas and movements, these drawings often depict detached parts of the body, natural organisms, and nostalgic items. A 10 minute animation requires approximately 2000 pencil drawings. The created images show a constant apparition and disapparition of botanic, animalistic, anatomic and traditional motifs. Each stage transforms into the next, with the new movement (or drawing) inspired by the previous stage. The transformation represents the energy that is constantly “becoming” something else at every moment. The sound effects of the traditional Korean percussion instrument complement the visual imagery, and the drawings visually respond to the sounds.

On the occasion of Lee’s first solo show with the Gallery, the exhibition will feature the full series of her drawing animations alongside with new drawings. The animations show the transformation of curious objects in harmony with mythical sound effects and the drawings depict traces of transformation and its result, which hints at the artist’s physical engagement and the materiality of the pencil, the eraser, and the paper. In addition, each drawing animation will be presented with its ‘Master Drawing’, that shows the artist’s repetitive movements of drawing on paper. The viewers are therefore invited to discover the full trajectory of the artist.

Becoming (2017) represents moments of metamorphosis, where there is a continuous flux between different states, eventually transforming the familiar object into an alien form. Contrasting subject matters, including the body, animals, plants, insects, and percussion, transfuse with each other to constantly generate new images. The inappropriate and the unacceptable ideas that are presented to the viewers will therefore challenge their perceptions and understanding of the world.

A Cabinet (2017) will be projected in the main gallery space in a completely dark room, with a built-in water tank-like pool which reflects the images of the cabinet, thus creating a curious and mythical ambiance to the space. On its facing wall, A Lamp (2017) will be projected on the inner corner of the space, creating a ‘mise en abîme’ (room within a room).