Ivory Yeunmi Lee

Ivory Yeunmi Lee, Olivia – Lost In The Yellow Flowers, 2025, acrylic on linen, 76.2×152.4cm ©Courtesy of Ivory Yeunmi Lee and ATELIER AKI.

ATELIER AKI is pleased to present Ivory Yeunmi Lee’s solo exhibition 《Lost and Found — Alison + Olivia in the Shifting Garden》 from April 23 to May 31. Opening a new chapter in Fantastic Realism, Lee opens a new chapter through this exhibition, tracing how her long-standing motif—the “garden”—has evolved and expanded in tandem with her lived experiences, shedding light on the artist’s philosophical reflections on life and memory. Anchored in the continuity of her immersive series, the exhibition showcases 15 new works that breathe fresh life into her evolving garden narrative, offering a glimpse into the emotional and symbolic landscapes that define Lee’s ever-expanding artistic universe.

Installation view (1) of In Ivory Yeunmi Lee: Lost and Found – Alison + Olivia in the shifting Grden at ATELIER AKI, Korea. ©Courtesy of Ivory Yeunmi Lee and ATELIER AKI.

Since presenting in 2005, Lee has been dedicated to constructing a singular fantasy world through the motif of the “garden” where in scenes unfold in invisible, otherworldly spaces where the supernatural is rendered with the familiarity of everyday life, inviting viewers into a realm where reality and illusion coexist in harmony. By seamlessly merging naturalistic landscapes with surreal, dreamlike elements, Lee offers a compelling reimagining of Fantastic Realism. Her approach resonates with Magical Realism, a term introduced by German art critic Franz Roh in 1925 to describe a shift in painting after Expressionism—one that embraced the poetic potential of the real and the imagined. Lee’s fantasy landscapes transcend mere scenery, unfolding as living, ever-evolving worlds shaped by time and emotion, and inviting viewers into richly layered narratives that evoke deep engagement and resonance.

Installation view (2) of In Ivory Yeunmi Lee: Lost and Found – Alison + Olivia in the shifting Grden at ATELIER AKI, Korea. ©Courtesy of Ivory Yeunmi Lee and ATELIER AKI.

Expanding upon her earlier works between 2005 and 2023, which envisioned the garden as a static utopia, Lee’s latest paintings depict fleeting, emotive scenes—reeds swaying in the wind, skies flushed in crimson, and water shimmering with movement. These images portray a space in constant flux, where idealized paradise gives way to a living, breathing world shaped by transformation. In this new body of work, Lee moves beyond her previously graphic and structured approach, embracing delicate brushstrokes, layered hues, and soft, tactile surfaces that reveal rich emotional undercurrents. Her compositions, constructed through flowing lines and bold color, transcend the visual language of animation to create a multidimensional realm where reality and fantasy intermingle. Through this evolution, the garden is no longer a fixed symbol of utopia, but a dynamic, narrative space—alive with presence, memory, and metamorphosis.

The artist’s central motif, the “garden,” began with Querencia—an imagined sanctuary from the realities of childhood—and has gradually evolved and expanded alongside her practice through a series of pivotal exhibitions: The Perfect Garden (2005), The Closed Garden (2008), The Garden Inferno (2009), A Rainy Garden (2023), and The Red Sky (2023). Once a space of escape and pure imagination, the garden has since transformed into a layered, fluid landscape—an ever-shifting terrain imbued with memory, identity, and the quiet rhythms of change.

Installation view (3) of In Ivory Yeunmi Lee: Lost and Found – Alison + Olivia in the shifting Grden at ATELIER AKI, Korea. ©Courtesy of Ivory Yeunmi Lee and ATELIER AKI.

This exhibition unfolds the shifting terrain of the garden, tracing how the artist’s personal memories and sensibilities sway, evolve, and respond to change. Reeds—bending with the wind yet never breaking—appear repeatedly in the new works, symbolizing resilience and adaptability. Tangled threads that blur the viewer’s line of sight evoke the invisible entanglements and fluid dynamics of human relationships, while skies set ablaze in crimson speak to temporal boundaries and emotional thresholds. Together, these elements form a distinct rhythm within Lee’s garden—a space where serenity and tension coexist in delicate balance.

Installation view (4) of In Ivory Yeunmi Lee: Lost and Found – Alison + Olivia in the shifting Grden at ATELIER AKI, Korea. ©Courtesy of Ivory Yeunmi Lee and ATELIER AKI.

Notably, in “Olivia – Lost in the Yellow Flowers (2025)”, the artist captures Olivia’s sense of disorientation and curiosity as she wanders through a field of yellow blossoms. Her wide, searching eyes reflect the fragility of fragmented, uncertain memories, while wind-swept hair and a subtly unstable environment visually echo her shifting emotional state. In “Alison – Lost in the Scarlet Glow (2025)”, Alison’s search for self unfolds within a space bathed in red light, where the scarlet sky reflects her inner turmoil and emotional conflict. Another central piece in the exhibition, “The Whispering Knot (2025)”, explores the dualities of protection and restraint, intimacy and distance, as the subtle visual tension between Alison and Olivia evokes the complexity of human relationships. Across these works, Lee intertwines emotional nuance with natural elements—depicting states of vulnerability and resilience, fear and discovery, concealment and revelation. In doing so, she invites the viewer to confront the quiet entanglements of emotion and reflect on the delicate intricacies of the human experience.

“This exhibition suggests that to lose one’s way does not necessarily mean to experience loss. Within the ever-shifting garden, we may drift and falter, but eventually, we rediscover our path—and in doing so, we begin to see ourselves and the world from a renewed perspective. I hope that viewers will encounter pieces of their own emotions, memories, and narratives within this transforming garden. Though it originates from my personal vision, this garden ultimately belongs to all of us.” ㅡ Ivory Yeunmi Lee 2025

The exhibition Lost and Found — Alison + Olivia in the Shifting Garden marks a continued evolution and expansion in Lee’s artistic journey. The narratives of losing and rediscovering one’s way within a mutable garden serve as poetic metaphors for confronting and moving through life’s uncertainties—mirroring how we, too, navigate a world in constant flux. Through this evolving landscape, Lee gently guides viewers to momentarily lose themselves within their own inner gardens—not simply to find a way back, but to uncover what was once forgotten and allow it to take on renewed meaning. In this process, the garden transcends its role as a physical setting, reemerging as a symbolic site of transformation, vulnerability, and revelation. As Lee’s garden unfolds across the exhibition space, it invites us to revisit fragments of our lives and explore our own inner landscapes.

ATELIER AKI
1F / B1F, Galleria Foret 32-14, Seoulsup 2-gil, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
+82 2 464 7710

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