Hyemin Lee studied Sculpture at Seoul National University, after which she completed her MA at NYU. She has held solo exhibitions at a number of galleries and museums in several countries. She has also participated in group shows at Art Basel Hong Kong (2016), Jeonbuk Province Art Museum (2016), Sylvia Ko Gallery, NY (2014), and more. Lee travels frequently and works in both Korea and the US. Hyemin Lee’s work begins with the study of everyday objects. She continually finds inspiration through her conversations with these seemingly mundane objects. Trained in sculpture, painting, video arts, and music, Lee is a truly interdisciplinary artist. As she is not limited by medium, Lee allows her work to develop in various forms and techniques. Lee seeks to heal people’s souls and minds through her art practice, providing solace and comfort for her viewers. This is especially present in her earlier works, where she uses abandoned and discarded materials to create her compositions. With a loving touch, she succeeds in transforming them into beautiful works of art.

 

Like droplets of water that eventually carve stone, the materials used in Hyemin Lee’s work seem soft and fragile, yet collectively form powerful entities. Made from discarded bed linen and clothes, Lee’s small, vividly colored pillows evoke personal memories, dreams, and hopes. The individual pillows may seem inconsequential, but gathered together, they gain gravitas and significance. Hyemin Lee’s recent installation work visualizes the complexity of life. The groupings of vividly colored pillows, facing up and down, resemble life itself, entangled in emotions, experiences, and relationships. Another of her series, Waves, is a collection of plaster bandages shaped into lace-like waves. Plaster bandages are malleable when wet, but solid and unbreakable once dry. The artist takes advantage of the material’s trans-formative power to create the illusion of frail, delicate waves that are in fact both serene and strong. Softness does not mean weakness.