Seulgi Lee: SPAN. Ikon Gallery

Ikon presents the first UK solo exhibition by artist Seulgi Lee (25 June - 7 September 2025).

Born in Seoul, South Korea and living in Paris, France since 1992, Seulgi Lee’s work is shaped by the use of colour, gesture, simple yet elegant forms and performance. Intrigued by the relationships between language systems, form and function in traditional crafts, she has developed a unique artistic practice in which she combines conceptual approaches with artisanal methods. For her exhibition at Ikon Gallery, Lee explores a historical measurement – the span of the human hand – through artworks from ongoing projects alongside new pieces commissioned by Ikon.

Developed from research with the School of Jewellery at Birmingham City University, SIX PENCE (2025) harks back to the Victorian trade of mother-of-pearl buttons. Embedded in a wall, the intimate work highlights the subtle artistry and lustre of such buttons, conjuring for Lee the illusion of “stars walking on clothes”. Made in collaboration with artisans in Tongyeong, a city on the Southern coast of South Korea, Blanket Project U (2014–ongoing) uses nubi – a densely padded quilt sewn line by line – as a medium for recalling vernacular proverbs. Colourful, geometrical compositions and the direction of the weave reflect the meaning and actions of the idioms, including two new commissions depicting British sayings.

W (2017–2018) is an ensemble of palm-leaf baskets woven by female weavers in the village of Santa María Ixcatlán, Mexico. Positioned on thin, metal armatures, their anthropomorphic forms reflect the landscape of the northern region of Oaxaca and stories told to Lee by the weavers. SPAN (2025) distills the technique of Korean dancheong mural painting into a line-based composition. The bright colours of SLOW WATER (2022) draw further inspiration from the vivid palette of dancheong with an elevated platform of intricately interwoven wooden slats built in the style of Korean Munsal (traditional lattice door or window). The floating installation deftly combines the typology of the modernist grid with a riot of colours that shift with the movement of viewers.

This exhibition is made possible by lead supporter Bagri Foundation, with additional support from Ikon lead benefactor ai. gallery; Korea Artist Prize Promotion Fund, from SBS Foundation and National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea; and Trampoline, Association in support of the French art scene, Paris. The artist is represented by Gallery Hyundai, Seoul, and Galerie Jousse Entreprise, Paris.


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