Austin Lee – Paradise

Mostra personale.

Comunicato stampa

On the occasion of SPRINT–Independent Publishers and Artists’ Books Salon at Spazio Maiocchi, Milan, KALEIDOSCOPE presents “Paradise,” a solo show by American artist Austin Lee which also celebrates the launch of the artist’s first monograph, co-published with Carl Kostyál and designed by Bureau Borsche.

The show, organised in collaboration with Carl Kostyál, will consist of three paintings inspired by the enigmatic expression of Christ on the Cross (1600–1610) by El Greco. The three paintings, all made with airbrush paint on oil-painted backgrounds, aim to portray the remarkable example that El Greco provides in describing the interior mental space of human feelings. Originally meant to be three copies of the same work, they each acquired a specific emotional intention embodied by Lee while painting, therefore becoming unavoidably unique allowing for new meaning and feeling. In the courtyard of Spazio Maiocchi, a site-specific sculpture – a digital model 3D printed in aluminum and later hand-painted, figurative of a sun – completes the exhibition.

The work of the New York-based artist often explores the duality of technological advancement within reality and surrealism, creating uncanny and humorous figures by merging digital tools with traditional painting and sculpting techniques. Born in Las Vegas in 1983, Austin Lee received his MFA from Yale in 2013 and currently lives and works in New York City. During the past few years, he has presented solo exhibitions at Carl Kostyál, London; Peres Projects, Berlin; Deitch Projects, New York; and Kaikai Kiki, Tokyo.

On Saturday 23 November from 7–9 PM, Austin Lee will be signing copies of the book at Spazio Maiocchi.