This fall, Oniris Gallery is exhibiting for the second time the French-Korean artist Soo-Kyoung Lee. Being an adept of abstract and spontaneous painting, she admits that she never makes any preparation before starting the work. To her, the most important thing is the gesture. Thought and action are simultaneous and it is in this continuity of gestures that the painting becomes tangible.

The name of the exhibition “Memoria” (lat. memory) describes the paradox that the artist is constantly confronted with during her creative process: she is required to chase her memory and, at the same time, work with it.

Even though in her technique Soo Kyoung Lee had to take some distance with the Asian traditions, part of the exhibition “Memoria” is imbued with Korean sensibility, with childhood memories. This series, called “Munpei” [door plaque], refers to an old Korean custom of placing a rectangular panel next to the door with the name of the resident of the house on it. The artist works with the substance and, by cutting the wood in a completely free manner, she replaces the specific name with abstract forms. The “Munpei” series contains 1000 pieces in total: each one is unique and colorful and delivers a message to the viewer in the spirit of the Korean door plaque tradition.

In this new exhibition at Oniris Gallery, the artist presents paintings and works on wood made over the past two years. These works illustrate the evolution of Soo-Kyoung Lee’s creative process while maintaining a characteristic spontaneity.