This is the latest work by Korean-born, Los Angeles-based artist So Youn Lee (who has previously exhibited here). Known for her ethereal, dreamlike aesthetic, Lee’s work revolves around a genderless character named Mango, who embodies the essence of human wonder. This character and other mysterious figures in her work are inspired by human desires and qualities, from the cute and angelic to the bizarre and weird.
Her latest exhibition with Hashimoto Contemporary explores the journey of feeling alien and finding a sense of belonging in an unfamiliar environment. In Anomaly, Lee presents a group of anomalous creatures navigating a fantastical space world that she has spent years constructing. Alongside the wide-eyed amorphous explorer Mango is their companion Choco (inspired by Lee’s real French bulldog, who passed away in 2022). Incorporating her grief into her drawings, colors, and narratives, the paintings depict Mango and Choco as alien travelers, rekindling their relationship and traversing an unknown universe, across the limbo and beyond.
See more images of “Anomaly” below, or on view at Hashimoto Contemporary until July 6.
