Storyteller: Bing Lee x Kim Ha-Young

Storyteller: Bing Lee x Kim Ha-Young

《畫說》: 李秉罡 x 金夏榮

Date: 28 October – 11 December 2021

Opening: 28 October 2021 (Thursday), 5 – 8PM

Soluna Fine Art is proud to present Storyteller, a dual exhibition by Bing Lee (b. 1948, New York-based Hong Kong-artist) and Kim Ha-Young (b. 1983, London-based South Korean-artist). It is both artists’ first exhibition with Soluna Fine Art. While the artists are primarily known for their distinct, witty, and visually iconographic visuals related to contemporary culture and social concerns, they come from different cultural and generational backgrounds. Bing Lee, who lived in Hong Kong before moving to New York, relays his personal myths and social concerns through his iconographic visual vocabulary, ‘Pictodiary’. While Kim Ha-Young, a Korean artist who continues to pursue her artistic practice in London, speaks about contemporary culture through multi-layered imageries that are inspired by the concept of augmented reality. The dual exhibition will feature paintings and drawings that facilitate dialogues about the contemporary psyche and will open the floor for the audience to explore multiculturalism and art. Storyteller will be on view from 28 October to 11 December 2021, with an opening on 28 October (Thursday) from 5 – 8PM.

Bing Lee (b. 1948, Guangzhou, China) grew up in Hong Kong and moved to New York in 1979. He came to the United States on a scholarship to study Fine Arts at Columbus College of Art and Design in 1973. Upon attainment of his B.F.A., he continued his graduate studies at Syracuse University on a scholarship and a full teaching assistantship. Since Lee launched his “Pictodiary” project in 1983, he has been committed to working on a daily iconographic journal. The comprehensive visual vocabulary he developed while working on this still ongoing project became a significant portrayal of his work, relaying his personal belief and social concerns. As a multimedia artist, Lee transforms excerpts from the “Pictodiary” to paintings on canvas, engravings on wood, graphite on paper, dye on latex, etched glass, mosaics, ceramics, as well as site-specific murals. His works have been exhibited in art festivals, galleries and museums internationally.

Lee’s most recent work is a mural entitled ‘Animal Farm’ at Taikwun Hong Kong, and an upcoming project is a mural at Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD) in Ohio, USA. He is a recipient of several awards and honors, including the Fulbright Foundation Fellowship (2003); New York State Council on the Arts Fellowship (1994); Gregory Millard Fellowship, New York Foundation for the Arts (1993); National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (1991); Best Experimental Film, Hong Kong Independent Film Festival (1979); and Ford Foundation Fellowship (1978). Since he established the Bing Lee Studio in 1990, Lee has been commissioned to design and install site-specific public art projects at various locations including the former Midwest Express Center in Milwaukee, Kowloon Tong Station, and Tai Kwun Centre for Heritage and Arts in Hong Kong, Canal Street Subway Station in New York and different schools in the city. His works are also included in the Oxford University Press, the Grove Encyclopedia of American Art. Lee co-founded both Godzilla: Asian American Arts Network and the Epoxy Art Group in New York and the Visual Arts Society in Hong Kong.

Kim Ha-Young (b.1983 in Seoul, Korea) previously studied painting at Hongik University in Seoul and completed her Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Art at the Royal Academy Schools. Since graduating from the Schools in 2011, she has also completed a Doctor of Fine Art (D.F.A.) at The School of Arts and Digital Industries in London. Primarily painting on polyester canvas and drafting films, Kim often incorporates her paintings into animation and installation, exploring the issues of modern technology and science in her works. She is particularly fascinated by our high-tech society’s effects on the human mind and the process of people becoming ‘characterless characters’. While the controlling, cold, rational, and ‘intelligent’ logic onset by advanced technology makes people lose some sense of humanity and individuality, it also makes them more susceptible to vulnerable and fragile feelings.

Despite the struggles of the contemporary psyche that Kim’s works often represent, the cartoon-like surrealistic elements and her irrational juxtaposition of imageries prompt a reimagination of such contemporary issues. Therefore, rather than accepting the often one-sided perspective, Kim attempts to juggle the multiple facets of the issues by allowing different dimensions to coexist in her works, such as utilizing augmented reality. Augmented reality presents the original physical context as a multidimensional context through the enhancement of other visual elements. A large part of Kim’s artistic practice extends this concept of augmented vision to make it more symbolic in her works. Therefore, apart from paintings, Kim also creates animations and NFTS works, such as her upcoming works with KaKaoTalk, the popular mobile messaging app equivalent to WhatsApp in South Korea. Kim’s works are also included in various collections, including the Royal Academy of Arts, Menier Gallery, and Deutsche Bank Art Collection in London, and Jerwood Gallery in Hastings.

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About Soluna Fine Art

Soluna Fine Art is a gallery specialising in Asian fine art and objects with deep roots in South Korea. Our mission is to revitalise interest in Eastern aesthetics and philosophy by showcasing established and emerging artists and works of traditional value with contemporary interpretation. Works by artists represented by Soluna Fine Art can be found in private collections and institutions around the world. As well as exhibitions, our annual programme includes fairs, educational initiatives and multi-disciplinary collaborations on an international level.

Gallery opening hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 6 pm

Address: 52 Sai Street, Sheung Wan

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