Ahryun LEE

July 2 - September 8, 2022

Ahryun Lee, Tasty collection, 2022, porcelain, h. 22 cm to 47 cm.

For Ahryun Lee, ceramics is an enchanting world of limitless creative possibilities, especially contemporary ceramic sculpture. "Clay is an intriguing and impressive medium; ceramic material is becoming fertile territory for experimentation and creative approach in contemporary art. My work cannot be presented as a single style, as it involves different aspects, from intentional elaboration to more spontaneous communication with the material. My aim is to challenge any conventional notion in ceramic art, transcending its utilitarian roots, while pushing the material to become more visually appealing and stimulating." confides the artist. In an innovative take on ceramics, Ahryun Lee uses the material in a sophisticated way to create an unusual surface quality. Color, playfulness and the extraordinary are the artist's three key words to describe her approach. " I create my own imaginative, fictional and delightful universe - linked to childhood sensations - using strong colors and extraordinary textures in ceramics.Most of my inspiration comes from my childhood activities, toys, fun, childish things like fairy tales. Each color and texture recalls certain flavors in my imagination, such as my favorite candies; that's why I've named my collections, for example Imaginary drinks, the Fruity Fairy, or Tasty collection.

Ahryun in Connaissance des Arts
Ahryun Lee in L’OEIL

Her acidic universe echoes that of Pop Art. Ahryun Lee also claims to be influenced by the aesthetics of the Memphis group, a design and architecture movement founded in Milan by Ettore Sottsass in the 1980s. Above all, however, she draws her inspiration from the world of childhood, between personal memories and imaginary visions.
"It's a time of wonder and discovery. A baby always has something in his hands and puts it in his mouth to find out what it is. I try to recapture this, to translate sensations through my work. You have to want to touch them, to eat them...", explains the ceramist, who compares her pieces to "amuse-bouche", a term whose meaning she appreciates as much as its sound.
For her first exhibition in France, Ahryun Lee has chosen some twenty recent creations. They are there to encourage reminiscences, which can arise from form or color," she continues. In front of a yellow sculpture, I'd like the viewer not only to see yellow, but to smell it, to taste it. Yellow is the acidity of lemon, the bitterness. For others, it evokes sweetness, sparkle... The object must appeal to all the senses, leading to an experience of synesthesia.
The work does not exist without interaction with the viewer. The artist stimulates and provokes them. Inviting them to remember. A shape, a color, a material are enough to conjure up images. Ahryun Lee's fantasies have the fragrance of happy nostalgia.

Guillaume Morel
Journalist and art critic,
Extracts, 2022.