Space and narrative

Paintings by gordon lee

AN ONLINE EXCLUSIVE EXHIBITION

25 July 2020 - 22 August 2020

About the exhibition: 

Gordon Lee | Space and Narrative is an amalgamation of the late artist's New Icons and Urban Legend series. This solo exhibition highlights the core elements of Lee's work, the human condition. 

Lee’s work is a fusion of hyper realistic elements amidst a sea of colorful and abstract backgrounds. From the bright and kitschy paintings of New Icons, to the gritty and edgy works of Urban Legends, both series reduce the human experience to key elements that bear witness to the passage of time. 
 
According to Lee, “My paintings are about remnants of the human struggles in the urban world. Growing up in the refugee slum of the then British colony of Hong Kong in the 50's, I was confronted and surrounded by concrete buildings that sprung up everywhere like barriers. These were also class barriers where I found myself being suppressed and trapped. I was in awe with the overwhelming blockage. But yet, I also felt hope. Knowing that one day I would break out of that confinement. The memories of staring incessantly at those walls have deeply engraved in my mind. Whenever I look at walls in back alleys and side streets, I find myself inspired by the marks, cracks, nails, hinges, windows and graffiti on them. They reflect our existence and also our efforts to adapt and to alter that existence in the concrete jungle. They also bear witness to the human history and human condition. When there is effort, there is hope. My paintings are poetic expressions of such efforts.”