Jiyoun Lee-Lodge
The Undulating Waves of Emotions by Jiyoun Lee-Lodge
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In the freezing winter of 2017, she left New York, where she had painstakingly settled, and moved to Utah, her husband’s hometown. Utah, known for its beautiful nature, Mormon culture, and skiing paradise, was too quiet for someone accustomed to the bustling city life. The stark difference from New York’s fast-paced and dynamic environment made it hard for her to adapt. Struck by homesickness, she found herself struggling emotionally, with frequent disagreements with her husband. Having already made the move, she had to contemplate adapting and thriving in this new environment deeply.
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The answer she found was the water. Just as water transformed to fit the shape of its container, she realized she needed to adapt flexibly to her circumstances. After countless hours in her basement studio drawing and redrawing human figures merged with water, her 2019 Waterman Series was born. The figures in this series resemble liquid creatures from a Marvel movie, their gender indistinguishable. One figure absorbs shocks by emitting circular ripples, while another pair intertwines, holding hands and leaning on each other, reminiscent of Marina Abramović’s “Static Energy.” Her art is never solitary. Even when a figure sits alone, there’s always wind blowing or something accompanying them.
The Waterman Series transitioned from a monochrome world to one where vibrant water droplets burst forth and scatter around. These multicolored droplets represented the wide spectrum of emotions she felt, expressed vividly through color. Gradually, her Waterman figures lost their human shapes and transformed into waves.
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Now, the waves in her artwork undulate. Waves may seem to move on their own, but their motion has a driving force behind it. Similarly, our present lives are deeply rooted in traces of the past. Her waves, still swelling and brimming with energy, demonstrate her existence, as the hues of emotions splash out in droplets. Jiyoun Lee-Lodge’s wave series continues to evolve.
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