Description

Lee Bul is a South-Korean artist whose artistic practice spans mediums from sculpture, performance and painting to video and installation art. She is considered one of the foremost Asian artists to emerge from the international art scene in the 1990s. She represented Korea in the 1999 Venice Biennale, and her work has been exhibited at museums throughout the world. Drawing upon her early experience of living under a military dictatorship in South Korea, her work reflects utopian architectural designs of the early twentieth century as well as images of totalitarianism. Through her interest in art history, critical theory and science fiction, she also explores issues that range from gender roles in a patriarchal society to the failure of idealism, producing genre-crossing works that are both captivating and grotesque. This comprehensive monograph presents her most iconic works, from early video and performance pieces to her futuristic sculpture, colourful works on paper and staggering new installation commissions. Taking visual cues from fantastical architectural visions and pop-cultural forms, her art is both striking and accessible. This survey showcases Bul’s inventive oeuvre,