Lee Bul: Sorry For Suffering
Lee Bul is a South Korean contemporary sculpture and installation artist who appeared on the art scene in the late 1980s.
Her work questions patriarchal authority and the marginalization of women by revealing ideologies that permeate our cultural and political spheres. These themes take form in organic and mechanical sculptures and installations that reflect the ideals of a futuristic society. She has focused on shaping oppression of women, commercialization of sex, etc. that are intensified in a male-dominated society through various performances and objects.
Crafted from materials including metal, silicone, resin, chains, crystal beads, and organic matter, Lee Bul’s cyborgs, monsters, and glittering architectural structures may seem futuristic but are influenced by specters of the historical avant-garde. Though Lee was academically trained in sculpture, her early works were often interactive, inviting viewers to create private performances in sleek karaoke pods or to pump air into monumental balloons mimicking manga and anime heroines.
Lee’s diverse body of work—including installations of sculptures, drawings, performances and maquettes—continues to cross genres and disciplines, exploring themes of beauty, corruption, and decay.
Lee Bul’s earliest works include an art performance titled :"Sorry for suffering ― You think I'm a puppy on a picnic?". During the 12 day staging, Bul traveled from South Korea to Japan wearing a self made costume and ultimately ending up at Tokiwaza Theater, reenacting her most controversial performance “Abortion”.
“Sorry for suffering – You think I’m a puppy on a picnic” is believed to be a feminist critique on the controlling of women’s bodies in patriarchal East Asian society, given Lee had transformed her female body into something monstrous; something socially unacceptable.
Over the years, Lee Bul has had numerous solo exhibitions worldwide including Live Forever which toured the New Museum of Contemporary Art in New York and The Power Plant in Toronto.
