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Korea Herald
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Lee Mi-re installation more than visually intense
Rising Korean artist's inaugural preformance at MMCA depicts desire and the debris it leaves behind Lee Mi-re rose to global prominence with visually intense installations created with silicone, ceramics, fabrics, chains, oil and other materials reminiscent of human organs or bodies. The kinetic installations dripped liquid, spluttered and whirred, overwhelming its viewers. After her recent solo exhibition 'Open Wound' at the Tate Modern in London, she unveiled her first-ever performance at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, in Seoul. "I was invited by a curator at MMCA and had the opportunity to work in a theater for the first time. Since it's a space that is clearly different in nature from the exhibition halls and galleries I usually work in, I wanted to try things I hadn't done before," the artist told The Korea Herald about her inaugural performance at the museum's theater space, adding that she saw this unfamiliar setting as a chance to learn a lot. 'My strongest desire as an artist is to impress audiences who love my work,' she noted. The setting for the performance on Friday was seemingly the artist's installation work itself -- silicone and fabric hung on battens: discarded materials Lee collected from the outskirts of Seoul, along with deconstructed elements from the artist's earlier works. Then the battens collapsed on the floor and the materials scattered. Red lighting and the heavy metal song "Dopesmoker' accompanied the beginning of the 40-minute performance titled 'Hometown to Come.' Actress Bae Seon-hui roamed across the materials on the floor singing a song to the melody of 'Part of Your World' from Disney's 'The Little Mermaid' and sweeping the floor. At times, she spoke to a person named 'Hana,' who does not appear on the stage, with words such as 'I bought a dream for you.' The performance resonates with feelings of frustration from chasing a dream, surrender, regret, sorrow -- but also a strong inner drive to continue and persevere, according to the MMCA. Through the performance, Lee questions human fantasies about desire, as well as human vulnerability. "Waste is the dark side of production and a state where all of our dreams will eventually return," the artist said. After the show, the installation was reassembled, allowing the audience to examine it. Lee, 37, is based in Seoul and Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Korea Herald
19-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Rising artist Lee Mi-re's performance work to debut at MMCA
Lee's 'Home to Come' to be performed at MMCA March 28 to 30 Lee Mi-re, one of South Korea's younger, rising artists, will showcase her first-ever performance work next week, extending her artistic practice that has centered on creating viscous kinetic installations to a new artistic realm. 'Home to Come' will be performed March 28 to 30 at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea in Seoul. The title of the performance is identical to that of the album by musician Lee Min-hwi who is part of the performance. Actress Bae Sun-hui is another performer for the show, taking turns with Lee for different time slots. Lee, 37, is best known for her kinetic art featuring sculptures created with silicone, ceramics, fabrics, chains and other materials that remind one of organs. With her works, Lee has questioned human fantasies about technology, the vulnerability of humans and industrial systems. The 40-minute-long performance will feature waste the artist collected from the outskirts of Seoul and deconstructed parts of the artist's previous installation works, which will be installed on six battens, according to the museum. The choreography of the objects will poetically visualize the landscape of wreckage created by humans' desires and greed. The song 'Dopesmoker' by the band Sleep will fill the space. Lee -- based in Seoul and Amsterdam -- gained global recognition last year for her large-scale solo exhibition, 'Open Wound,' at the Tate Modern in London. The performance at the MMCA requires a reservation on the museum website to attend. A total of six performances will take place at the museum's Multi-Project Hall over the three days. Each performance is limited to 50 viewers.
