Lucid Dream, Black Rose, Glass Box: Hye Rim Lee

Lucid Dream, Black Rose, Glass Box is a photography, mural and sculpture exhibition which deconstructs dreamspaces from a narrative to an infinite dream, reflecting Hye Rim Lee's ongoing 3D animation project, Black Rose.

Lucid Dream, Black Rose, Glass Box features Lee's signature character TOKI, shown as a Princess, a Queen and a Rose, alongside scenes such as Glass Box, Diamond, Purple Mushroom Woods, and Dragon Yong. In a recent statement, Lee describes her work and practice: 'It is a dream that I seek to create a paradise between the organic world of my childhood house and garden, and the inorganic cyber world of fantasy and dream. Creating a zone that exists between the analog and the digital, between dream and reality. I deal with the world of virtual relationships using sophisticated computer programmes alongside fantasy to drive the viewer's thoughts, by mixing the older technique of photography with dazzling digital effects that optimise perspective, texture, and reflection.'

Hye Rim Lee is a Korean New Zealand artist currently working in Seoul, New York and Auckland. As an inter-media artist she works across digital, sculptural and performance platforms. Through the creation and development of animated character TOKI, Lee discusses the changing roles of women, in particular Asian women, focusing on the rise of new technology and contemporary mythmaking, which in turn leads to a heightened interest in Western consumerism and beauty ideals. When TOKI was first introduced (Hello TOKI :), 2002) she personified an ultra-cute, child-like character who has since matured into a highly sexual female. Lee's photos and 3D animation installations tell a fantasy tale based on an intermingling of Eastern and Western popular culture and cyber trend, the study of new technologies and how they influence tradition. Lee's graphics have roots in the manga tradition but are also mixed with Western aesthetic ideals, this giving life to transgender, transcultural characters living in an imaginary world governed by testosterone.

Lee's work has been exhibited widely in major solo and group exhibitions and is included in many collections including: Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, Adam Art Gallery, Te Papa, The University of Auckland, Ernst&Young, Saatchi&Saatchi NZ, Hara Museum, National Museum of Contemporary Art Korea, Seoul Museum of Modern Art and major private collections worldwide.