Ivory Yeunmi Lee


San Francisco-based artist Ivory Yeunmi Lee received her BFA and MFA from Kookmin University in Seoul. Her paintings are ironic and witty, existing on the border between fantasy and reality. While at first glance her works appear very graphic, Lee employees a variety of very traditional media, including oil, acrylic and colored pencil, to compose each piece. Each composition is centered on Lee’s concept of ‘The Garden’ as the basic matrix from which everything else in this universe originates. Executed in a lightly saturated color palette, her whimsical landscapes are inhabited by anthropomorphized plants and creatures. Despite the playful demeanor of these cartoon like creations, it is easy to sense the darkness that lurks beneath the surface. 


EXHIBITIONS
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITION

2022
Hide & Seek
Alison + Olivia into the grden.
Atelier Aki
Seoul
S.Koea

2012 
“After the garden is closed”
Pyo
 gallery, Los Angeles

2009
"The closed garden 2nd story _
The garden inferno”, Interalia, Seoul, 
S.
Korea
2008
"The closed garden"-Tokyo
 gallery+B.T.A.P, Tokyo,
Japan
2005 
"Fantastic Nature" Da Vinci gallery,
Seoul , S.Korea




SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITION

2022
'Exodus'
Gallery Ascend
HongKong


2017
'Sweet n low'
an international show of cute
Bedford Gallery, walnut creek, CA
2015 

‘BOTANICA; ALL THINGS PLANT LIFE"
national Juried Exhibition and was juried by Ken Harman of Hashimoto Contemporary and Spoke Art, San Francisco, CA and MacKenzie Stevens of the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, CA.
Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA


2014

Tiny”, Studio Gallery, San Francisco

2013
“Gleaming Apollo”, Gallery 825, LAAA,
Los Angeles
        “Born in 1980s’ , Gallery Y, Los Angeles

2011
Gone fishing”- Pyo Gallery,
Los 
Angeles

2010
Paju book city art platform 1st    

  residency exhibition,
        Paju Book city, S. Korea
        Sun gallery 33rd Anniversary            
        exhibition, 
Seoul, S.Korea

Changwon Asia Art Festival
'The Fantastic Garden',
Changwon, S. Korea

2009
         "Enliven- In Between Realities and                Fiction - Animamix
 Biennial
2009-2010"

Today Art 
Museum
Baijing, China

 "Metaphors of  Un/Real - Animamix Biennial 2009-2010"
Shanghai MoCA
China

        "Wonderful Pictures",
ILMIN Museum of Art 
Seoul, S. Korea

"Art Road77", 
Hangil art space, 
Heyri, Korea

        "Fashion, Art, Raising Translation"                Aramnuri Museum of Art, 
Goyang,
S. Korea

        "Young Generation Artist_KOREA",                  Withspace gallery, 
789 artzone, 
Bejing, China

        "
2008 
Selected emerging artist "IYAP"      

        Interalia, 
Seoul, S. Korea

2007 "
         Work in progress
B.T.A.P +Tokyo gallery
Beijing, China


        "The flower" 
Tong-in gallery, 
Seoul,S.Korea

2006

       "The support's night" 
Savina Museum,          
Seoul, S. Korea

"White sale love for children"
Gana Art center miru,
  Seoul, S.Korea

        "Seoul Auction Young Artists"
Insa Art center, 
Seoul, S.Korea

Selected emerging artist "SeMA2006"
Seoul Museum of Art, 
Seoul, S. Korea

  Selected emerging artist
    "Trend-Spotting 2006" 
              Gallery HYUNDAI,            
Seoul, S. Korea
        

RESIDENCIES & AWARD
RESIDENCIES

2011
Selected artist for Los Angeles Art Association (LAAA, Gallery 825)
2010
Select Artist by Korean Contemporary Art (www.Akive.org)
2009 
Paju book city art platform 1st Selected Artist residency, Korea

Auction
2016
Christie's online Auction
'Half the sky'


Publication and Press
Blue Canvas Art Magazine, Selected Artist, August 2012 by blue canvas
Artscene, July, 2011 by Scarlet Cheng
Art and Culture, Feburary, 2010 by Sunyoung Lee
Japan Times, September 4th, 2008 by Donald Eubank
The Monthly Art Magazine in Korea, August, 2006 by Yujung Song. 

Illustration
2014 ‘미주알 고주알’, book cover illustration, published by ‘난다’, South Korea 2008
‘두근 두근, 몸에 관한 어떤 산문시’,cover illustration and drawings for book, published by ‘Random House Korea, South Korea 2007
‘행복한 난청’, book cover illustration, published by ‘Random House Korea, South Korea