Untitled (Cream Tone #14) / 2015 / Oil, acrylic and flashe paint on linen with staples / 69 x 48 inches.
BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN (stephaniebuhmann.com) | In the past, Lee has recast components of painting through a variety of experiments such as cutting, dismantling, slicing and sculpting. Testing the surface and structure of his canvases to the extreme, he questions their traditional physicality and the general sense of preciousness that can be associated with the medium. Stapled seams and stacked canvases seen from the back as one sculptural piece, for example, reflect Lee’s talent in finding beauty in what many would consider mundane.
In order to experience his works fully, one has to look at it closely, from various angles and while considering all perspectives.
Installation view of “and the Cream Tones” (2015).
In Lee, the viewer joins the artist’s exploration of what distinguishes image and object, surface and interior, or the visual and physical for that matter. Devoid of one-sided distinctions, this work disobeys categorization and finds its own niche somewhere between drawing, painting and sculpture. In his new exhibition we can expect Lee to continue to astonish, startle and amaze us. He will draw from the lexicon of art history without overt references to any one specific source.
JIM LEE: “AND THE CREAM TONES”
Through March 15
At Nicelle Beauchene Gallery
327 Broome St. (btw. Bowery & Chrystie)
Wed.–Sun.
11 a.m.–6 p.m. or by appointment
Call 12-375-8043
Visit nicellebeauchene.com
