TWENTY THREE COINCIDENCES lee ahnnlee

RUSSO YUBERO

Twenty Three Coincidences Lee Ahnnlee

Twenty Three Coincidences 23 coincidences is a little storybook, these stories that are told to children and where nice monsters, magic animals and talking trees chat together. From his daily observations, Lee Ahnnlee offers us stories, unexpected encounters and also tells us that the most improbable marriages are possible. Unlikely dialogues are thus established between a leaf and a butterfly, a bird and a rock. This invitation to look at the world differently is also a message for all of us. “Inanimate objects have you therefore a soul, which is attached to ours and compels us to love” wrote French poet Lamartine. Here is what is at stake here. The way we view and observe the inanimate and the mysterious universe of the living when it is not human. These dialogues are a reminder of the secret that surrounds the very idea of conscience and the feelings of those whom we have conveniently decided to call animals. Each of these mysterious encounters reminds us that behind the apparent stillness a second universe is undoubtedly hidden, which we have chosen to ignore. It could very well survive the organized and technological universe which transforms us today and rivets us to our screens in an ever deeper ignorance of reality. From his daily observation journey, each of us will draw their own stories and their own interpretations. Finally, at the end of the tales, emerges a dark small figure who alerts us, with his third eye, of the need to look also inside and not only on the surface of things. This dreamlike little being is everywhere, it can arise at any time, and its arrival in our consciousness is a warning. Let us keep in mind its physiognomy which is both funny and serious, its emergence is a return to the world of matter, beyond the pixels that now govern our daily lives. Helene Yubero & Francois Russo, January 2020

Lee Ahnnlee

Korean artist Lee Ahnnlee (b. 1985) exposes the profound meanings underlying oft-overlooked moments in life. His works are inspired by the smallest events and sights we encounter every day, be it the lost wing of a butterfly on the edge of a window, a bird with a missing beak springing up as it awakens from a dream, or the blossoming of a flower. Lee believes that each of these minute occurrences embodies the entire universe. This philosophy brings a feeling of universality to each of his creations. Lee’s series reads like a diary-like narrative, where small and big works sit side by side, each presenting a unique view of our shared destiny. In each work, the memory of what was offers us a glimpse into what will be. Collectively, these little insights present an overarching vision of the world and of our human condition, whether we are confined to a room, a neighborhood or a planet. A graduate of the esteemed École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris, Lee’s visual interpretation of the human condition has attracted the attention of collectors and museums worldwide. In addition to annual solo exhibitions in leading galleries in Seoul, his work has been displayed in the Jeju Museum of Contemporary Art and Seogbuk Creation Center. Most recently, Lee was named one of the 111 power artists of the 2020 decade by Korean magazine ART IN CULTURE.

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