See the stunning artwork of Lee Bul yourself with Xiaoyu Weng and the STPI

The final instalment in a year-long celebration of its 21^st Anniversary, the STPI, a Creative Workshop and Gallery is presenting Lee Bul: Prints, an eponymous solo exhibition by the highly acclaimed Korean artist, curated by Xiaoyu Weng, an award-winning curator.

A World Of Possibilities

Taking place from 4 November to 23 December 2023, the exhibition features over 60 works across five new series realised through thoughtful collaboration and exploration of the unlimited possibilities afforded by the STPI Creative Workshop.

Using unconventional materials such as copper powder and iron filings, Lee’s new STPI body of works challenges the parameters of printmaking, and continues to question mankind’s pursuit of a singular narrative through technocratic progress and modernist ideals.

The Inspiration Behind It All

Inspired by Lee’s Souterrain (2012/2016) sculpture, the variations of the Untitled – SF series metamorphose, appearing like thousands of pieces of broken mirrors. Laboriously layered with as many as 16 layers of screen- and foil printing. The images call to mind dizzying nightscapes of a neon-lit concrete jungle where urban development and decay collide, becoming a ruin of fractured time-space.

A two-dimensional reincarnation of her iconic female cyborg sculptures, Untitled CC continues to examine mankind’s desire to attain perfection through technology. Screen Printed with copper powder, the bizarre-shaped silhouettes oxidise, producing a range of patina effects making each print similar but never alike.

The Highlights

More highlights include the Untitled SI series and Untitled PI series, which share the same image provenance: a collage of explosions and mushroom clouds across a hellish landscape, created during her STPI residency.

The pastel softness and candy colours of Untitled – PI appears almost utopic at first, but reveals its unsettling dystopic reality upon closer observation. On the other hand, Untitled – SI plays strategically with iron filings that rust over time, emphasising the decaying, unrealised dreams of the grand narrative.

In Lee Bul: Prints, the artist navigates the convergence of art, science and technology with a counter-intuitive sense of innovation, expressing their post-modern tensions through traditional print techniques and the paper medium.

Visit the STPI Website to find out more.