Haerim Lee
The Chicago 21 no.3 (2019)
oil on canvas
40 x 30 in.
60611 no.1 (2019)
oil on canvas
48 x 36 in.
My work poses a socio-political question through the medium of painting and photography. Who has the authority to preserve and destroy history? I explore the critique of institutionalized demarcations of power. In the series The Architect, I depict portraits of architects and politicians who influenced urban planning in Chicago. The painting exposes urban practices played out at the hands of white men and the rise of an iconic figure, such as Richard J. Daley, Mies van der Rohe, Louis Sullivan. The act of editing, concealment, and obstruction of imagery creates a subjective psychological space for history and memory.
© Haerim Lee