Art gallery openings and similar art-focused live events are a great way to spend an evening--especially when work is being displayed in a community-centered venue such as a library. Stephanie S. Lee is a Korean-American artist who has been praised for her work that melds realistic depictions of animals and objects with a surrealist sense of color and form. A member of the New York Society of Women Artists, Stephanie also frequently showcases her work around New York City. In the summer of 2016, Stephanie is proud to present a solo show titled “Back to Circle” at the Piermont Public Library. The show will run from Aug. 1 to Aug. 31.
In this exhibition, Stephanie will display a collection of fifteen paintings that were inspired by a specific type of circle which often appears in Korean folk art paintings symbolizing the sun and moon. Noting that many artists believe that circles are the most complete and perfect shapes, Stephanie used her art to explore the concepts and thoughts behind the idea that circles are representative of harmony and reincarnation.
Stephanie’s paintings aim to simplistically--yet powerfully--remind reviewers that all living subjects are derived from one single round cell. The essence of the circle's role in nature added to Stephanie's own convictions about the shape's utter completeness. “The circle suggests various philosophical meanings to the artist, such as beginnings and ends, life and evolution,” she stated in am interview. “It’s an important symbol in Korean folk art which uses unique and colorful methods to depict coexisting fundamentals that travel from past to modern times.”
Via the “Back to Circle” exhibition, Stephanie aims to express concepts such as life and death, ideal and reality, and Yin and Yang; basically the belief in the relationships between coexisting elements. These relationships are visually symbolized by the circle shape which is--incidentally--much akin to the rounded shape of the earth itself. “I got the idea for the title from the old idiom ‘back to square one’ since this show lets me go back to where I first start painting and I hope to refresh, renew, reconstruct myself as a mature artist,” Stephanie explained. "I hope my work inspires viewers and also makes them think about the deeper meanings."
To learn more, visit her official website.
