Travelogue

aaploit presents Travelogue, a solo exhibition by Lee YeRim, on view from February 1 through February 25, 2024. This exhibition is organized in cooperation with Gallery COLORBEAT, Seoul, and marks the first collaboration between Gallery COLORBEAT and aaploit. It is also Lee YeRim's first solo exhibition in Japan.

Lee YeRim studied painting at Hongik University, where she also earned a master's degree in visual arts and design. After working as an editorial designer for children's books at a publishing house, she moved to New York to devote herself to creative practice. She has held over twenty solo exhibitions and presented work in Hong Kong, Singapore, Amsterdam, Milan, Los Angeles, and elsewhere.

Lee's interest in the relationship between cities and herself led to the theme of urban architecture in her work. Born and raised in Seoul, she became drawn to the relationship between cities, high-rise buildings, and her own existence during her time in New York. Visiting major cities—New York, Shanghai, Paris, Tokyo, Seoul—she senses the human expression, emotion, and vanity carried by buildings, capturing the characteristics of each city as reflected in its towers. New York holds diversity and history; Shanghai is future-oriented and progressive; Seoul balances tradition and innovation. This exhibition explores the beauty and cultural context of the architecture she depicts, offering insight into the distinct character of each city's built environment.

Architecture in contemporary urban space functions as a symbol of human desire. These structures represent the wealth of a region, what it lacks, and the richness of stories accumulated by the people who live and intersect there. The narratives woven by those who pass through buildings reveal the true face of a place.

Lee draws her lines using a syringe—a technique she calls "injection." She describes buildings as living organisms and the people who inhabit them as blood. Through the syringe, organic elements are injected into the architecture.

People have shaped cities and built skyscrapers according to their needs. In cities where people come and go like the tides, buildings have stayed in place and watched over us. The places where daily life unfolds become the expressions of a city, spinning diverse stories. People conduct their lives precisely among and between buildings. Buildings are built to be solid, and precisely because of this, they can capture the daily lives and inner worlds of people in various expressions. The buildings in my paintings convey the emotions of people living in cities through lines that are solid yet soft, straight yet organic.

— Artist Statement

Having lived in cities around the world, Lee expresses human lives and emotions through the exteriors of cities and buildings.

For inquiries regarding the exhibition and works, please contact info@aaploit.com.