A new body of work by South Korea-born, Los Angeles-based artist So Youn Lee (previously featured here). Known for her ethereal, dream-like aesthetic, Lee’s work centres around a genderless character named Mango who embodies the essence of human wonder. This, and other mystic figures within her pieces, are inspired by human aspirations and qualities ranging from the endearing and angelic to the peculiar and eerie.
Her latest show with Hashimoto Contemporary explores the journey of feeling different and finding belonging within circumstances that are themselves strange. In “Anomaly” Lee showcases a cast of anomalous creatures navigating a dreamy, spacey world she has spent years building. Alongside wide-eyed amorphous explorer Mango is their companion Choco (inspired by Lee’s real-life French Bulldog who passed away in 2022). Integrating her grief into her paintings, colour and narrative, the paintings depict Mango and Choco as alien voyagers, rekindling their relationship and traversing an unknown universe, through limbo and beyond.
See more images from “Anomaly” below or on display at Hashimoto Contemporary until July 6th.
