JANE LEE | Variations P01 - P04

Osage Gallery, Hong Kong
Private Collection, Hong Kong

This work is in good overall condition as viewed.
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Lauded for her unconventional approach to contemporary art practice, Jane Lee is a virtuoso whose works feature playful interpretations of the medium of painting. This present lot is an exceptional example, as Lee forces us to re-examine the structural components of a painting and encourages us to pay attention to the artist’s starting point rather than the final product. This inclusion of the processes and materials that constitute the very body of Lee’s works offers viewers a refreshing perspective, as Lee transcends the physical limitations of a two-dimensional painting. With a background in fine arts and fashion, Lee’s familiarity with the processes of art making alludes to a completely reinvigorated mode of representing the art of construction itself. For Lee, her experimentations with materials, texture, colour and spatiality are merely intuitive – this is the unfiltered, inherent nature of an artist, uncontained by the boundaries of the canvas.   Seen as a lively riot of purples from afar, Lee puts together a selection that requires intimate observation from the viewer. This present lot illustrates Lee’s vast and exact mastery of the medium of painting, as each individual work from Variations carries a distinct textural undulation and character. Starting from the left of the installation, an inky, bluish purple dominates the panel, as miniscule, hill-like edges permeate the surface. Such is the pattern between all four featured pieces, where Lee literally weaves shades of purple, with occasional bright specks of magenta, scarlet and cobalt, to create a set of “paintings” that traverse into the realm of sculpture. Each panel possesses a different result of various manipulations of oil pigment on wood: one panel could be seen as smooth and flowing, while another viewed as harsher and more pointed. Lee’s total aversion to adhering to the limitations of materials prompts the viewer to fully engage with each work. Every streak and layer of paint is organic, deliberate and sensuous.

Jane Lee’s organic experimentations with abstraction reach a sophisticated balance alongside her affinity for eye-catching colours. Every variation in the present lot is an exuberant manifestation of Lee’s creative mind and instincts; while their interactions with the viewer inadvertently serve as an extension of her relationship with her curious audience. Jane Lee’s ability to provoke viewers to re-evaluate the notion of art-making doesn’t cease to be surprising and inventive. Indeed, Variations stands as a truly unique work that is exemplary of an artist’s with an eye for innovation and personal connection.