SHA-VANA: Closures and New Beginnings - Duo Show by Lili Lee & Yi-Shuan Lee

大河美術將舉辦《SHA-VANA：Closures and New Beginnings》，一場極富深度卻不失趣味的雙人展，揭開了韓國藝術家 Lili Lee 和加拿大籍華裔藝術家李奕諠的核心價值與創作心路歷程，並以兩人個別的獨特創作風格，引領出後疫情時代，除了療癒身心外，反思與提升才是修行的初衷。

 

Lili Lee 以韓國傳統宗教——薩滿（Shaman）為中心，透過分解、內化甚至轉譯各種薩滿元素為特殊視覺符號，構築內在的心靈世界，其最終作品如同護身符般，能夠保護與治癒人的心靈；李奕諠的作品含有大量的成癮、慾望議題，以觀察社會現象為根基，將之與成長經歷相互比對，創造一個詭譎的超現實世界，反映其背景及內涵，期望透過創作來引導與警示觀者，啟發自我修行（Bhavana）。

 

「SHA-VANA」為一組字，將代表兩位藝術家的創作核心——Lili Lee 的薩滿（Shaman）之寓有「智者」、「深入探索」含意的字首「Sha-」，與李奕諠的修行（Bhavana）之寓有「貪欲」、「吹或煽起」含意的字根「-vana」結合，成為一新的單字，意即「審視內心慾望，反思自身」，與兩位藝術家的核心價值不謀而合。而「SHA-VANA」本身如人名，任何一位觀看他們作品的人，就成為 SHA-VANA。「Closures and New Beginnings」則表達了兩人創作此次展覽作品時的心境與處境，為一暫停且開啟新思考及旅程、既停步卻又迎向嶄新的狀態；而之於本次展出的作品，則蘊含唯有接受突如其來的中斷並藉機來反省與重整，才能為人生帶來新氣象的哲理。

 

兩位藝術家因成長背景而以東方視角創建一個全新的世界觀，並將藝術的本質放大。Lili Lee 在韓紙上層染細膩的手法，傳達了濃厚的東方繪畫技巧；而李奕諠則使用單一色調，透過壓克力顏料來營造似水墨的皴擦筆法，融入版畫質感。兩人皆將情緒匯聚在視覺表現形式，而非單純表面的情境營造，為東西方創造了一個平衡且純粹的對話場域，藉由看似對立的切入點，匯聚出相同的核心價值。

 

展覽亦藉由最後展區的隱密對話，讓看似對立的兩件作品《A Thread of Hope》及《Shape of Wish》面對面凝視，並與其他作品一同營造詼諧幽默又神秘的氛圍，帶領觀者進入深層而有趣的內在修行。正如展題副標「Closures and New Beginnings」所帶出的意義，邀請觀者一同向內觀照，成為 SHA-VANA。

 

RIVER ART GALLERY is going to present “SHA-VANA: Closures and New Beginnings”,  a duo show that embodies depth as well as humor, introducing the core values and the mental processes of creation of Korean artist Lili Lee and Taiwanese-Canadian artist Yi-Shuan Lee. Their two unique creative styles are not only healing for the mind and body but also put emphasis on the core intention of self-introspection and improvement during post-pandemic times.

 

Lili Lee’s work focuses on “Shaman”, a traditional Korean religion. She dissects, internalizes, or translates various Shaman elements into unique visual symbols that constructs a spiritual world, with her work’s talismanic properties protecting and healing minds. Yi-Shuan Lee uses social phenomena as a basis for his practice, discussing the issues of addiction and desire while making comparison to the experience of his own upbringing to build an eerie, surreal world that reflects his background and character. The artist hopes to lead and warn his audience with his creations, inspiring self-cultivation, or “Bhavana“.

“SHA-VANA” is a combination of words, representing the creative values of the two artists — the prefix “Sha-” in Lili Lee’s “Shaman” has the meaning of “the wise” and “in-depth exploration”, while the root “-vana” of Yi-Shuan Lee’s “Bhavana“ represents the idea or “greed” and “incite”. The two words come together to create new vocabulary that signifies the “in-depth introspection of one’s desire and oneself”, according perfectly with the core values of both artists. “SHA-VANA” is like a name: those who view the works become SHA-VANA. On the other hand, “Closures and Beginnings” express the mindset and circumstances of the two while creating for this exhibition, a state of pausing and standing down while beginning new thought processes and journeys. The philosophies behind the works of this exhibition speak of their acceptance of a sudden halt in prior plans, taking the opportunity to introspect and reorganize to bring new possibilities in life.

The artists base the worldview of their works on their eastern background and perspective, enlarging the essence of art. Lili Lee’s exquisite method of dyeing the Korean rice papers (Hanji) demonstrate the eastern technique of painting; Yi-Shuan Lee uses monotones and acrylic techniques similar to those of ink brush strokes to integrate with the texture of printmaking. Instead of simply constructing a superficial scene, they both combine the emotions of each piece with its method of visual presentation, creating a balanced and pure area for discussion, where their seemingly-contrasting ideas converge into one single value.

 

Two works that seem to be in opposition, “A Thread of Hope” and “Shape of Wish”, face each other in an obscured discussion at the very last exhibition area. Along with other exhibited works, they create a humorous and mysterious atmosphere, leading the viewers into a deep and amusing spiritual practice. As the subtitle of the exhibition “Closures and New Beginnings” suggests, viewers are invited to introspect and become SHA-VANA.