Sarah Lee

Sarah Lee  was born in Seoul, South Korea in 1988. She spent her teenage years in Toronto and studied at the University of Nebraska before transferring to the Art Institute of Chicago. 

Lee received her BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago and returned to Korea to study at Seoul National University for two years before returning to the Art Institute, where she completed her MFA in 2017.

“I attended two graduate schools,” she said an interview in Juxtapoz. “The first was in Korea. Having left my country at 15 and lived as a foreigner for most of my life, I wanted to experience what it was like to be in an art community in my home country. So, I went to Seoul National University. It turned out quite differently from what I expected. The program prioritized developing ideas and concepts over a medium. In contrast, the art education I received in Chicago emphasized building techniques that would allow me to realize those ideas. I spent those two years in Korea searching for what I wanted to pursue as an artist, which I now believe laid a strong foundation for me. After that program, I decided to return to Chicago. The Art Institute of Chicago had a reputation for its painting program, and painting was what I wanted. My grad school experience in Chicago was chill and fun. The program allowed me to explore all kinds of painting styles, from abstraction to screen printing and sculptural paintings. After all these, it's ironic to me that I ultimately chose the most traditional genre: landscape painting.”

 Lee began painting imaginary landscapes during the pandemic. She had just moved from Chicago to New York, where she had few social contacts. She found herself painting rich, dark landscapes, that reflected both her sense of isolation and the joy of being able to paint without distractions. 

“Maybe I can put it this way: think about how we handle fear or the unknown,” she said. “We give menacing hurricanes names. We make wishes upon shooting stars. We make stories about the full moon. All these actions are our ways of comforting ourselves against our fears. And by painting, I'm comforting myself, hoping that it resonates with others as well.”

Her work has been exhibited in galleries including Albertz Benda, 1969, and ATM in New York, Stems in Paris, PMAM in London, Bill Brady and Anat Ebgi in Los Angeles, Carl Kostyal in Milan and are part of the permanent collection of  the Kumsung Cultural Foundation and Hana Bank in Korea. She has lectured as a Visiting Artist at The City College of New York.

Sarah Lee lives and works in New York.

References:

Shaquille Heath. Sarah Lee: At Moonlight. Juxtapoz. 2023.

Katie White. In Her New York Studio, Artist Sarah Lee Paints at Night to Find the Dark, Rich Shades for Her Alluring Scenes of Nature. Artnet. September 26, 2023.