Distinct from the finished editions, these unique Polaroids offer an intimate glimpse into JeeYoung Lee’s creative process, with some bearing the artist’s own handwritten annotations. Small in format yet rich in character, these rare photographic treasures are true collector’s gems, capturing a fleeting moment in the journey from initial image to finished artwork.
FRANÇAIS CI-DESSOUS"This piece was inspired by the Story of Shim Cheong, a Korea folktale and Ophelia, touching the meaning of death and resurrection. Sacred lotus flowers and leaves are made of paper and painted and the mystic atmosphere was created with fog and dry ice.

Lotus, a flower blooming and closing to the rise and fall of the sun, bears various cultural symbolisms such as prospects and rebirth. It is also known for its purifying function even flowering from the dirty mud. Rooted in the association of lotus, the piece is to convey my personal experience of being born again by overcoming negative elements that had dragged me down and cleansing myself emotionally. Artistic intentions lie in capturing the crucial moment of growing from immaturity to maturity, realizing potentials of a being and actualizing oneself. The figure revealed with a lotus bud opening implies a stronger self who was just born again and is meeting a new world."

Lee JeeYoung

____

(FRANÇAIS)

"Cette oeuvre est inspirée par l'histoire de Shim Cheong, un conte du folklore coréen, ainsi que par par le personnage de Shakespeare dans Hamlet: Ophelia. Lee JeeYoung évoque ici les thèmes de la mort et de la résurrection. Le décor fait de lotus sacré est entièrement construit à base de papiers peints alors que l'aspect l'atmosphère éthérée qui semble régner dans la pièce a été créée à l'aide de neige carbonique.
Le lotus, qui s'épanouit et se ferme au rythme du soleil, est fréquemment associé à l'espoir ainsi qu'à la renaissance. Il possède également une fonction purificatrice attribuable à sa capacité à prendre racine dans la vase. L'artiste, posant au coeur d'une fleur de lotus, exprime ici le lâcher prise et la purification émotionnelle lui permettant d'accéder à la maturité."

JeeYoung LEE