LEE Jihyun

LEE Jihyun (b. 1979) embarks on a journey of stacking up gathered experiences and memories on to the canvas. The artist creates imaginary landscapes; merging public places that she has visited in the past with very personal spaces. Famous tourist attractions are interconnected with spaces that represent personal life, such as the inside of a closet or the top of a desk, to form another dimension of time and space. By exploring the various elements of painting as a medium—such as composition, color, negative space, perspective, and reproduction—LEE uncovers the nuances of tangibility in her work, which are marked by brushstrokes and traces of paint.

LEE Jihyun was born in 1979, Seoul, Korea. She received her BFA and MFA from Sungshin Women's University (Seoul, Korea) and MFA from School of Visual Arts (New York, US). The artist has held solo exhibitions at ECOCA (Ely Center of Contemporary Art) (New Haven, US, 2025), ARARIO GALLERY SEOUL (Seoul, Korea, 2022; 2008), Doosan Gallery Seoul (Seoul, Korea, 2013), Doosan Gallery New York (New York, US, 2012), Gallery Sun Contemporary (Seoul, Korea, 2006), ARARIO GALLERY BEIJING (Beijing, China, 2006), as well as group exhibitions held at ARARIO GALLERY SEOUL (Seoul, Korea, 2024; 2021; 2011), ARARIO GALLERY CHEONAN (Cheonan, Korea, 2020; 2010; 2006), DOOSAN Gallery (Seoul, Korea, 2009), Seoul Museum of Art(Seoul, Korea, 2006). Participating in her first group exhibition in 2000, the artist has been in a number of international exhibitions across various countries such as Japan, Switzerland, and US.  Her works are part of the collections such as Government Art Bank and Art Bank of National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Arts and ARARIO Collection. She currently lives and works in New Haven, CT, US.