Lee-Niinioja's singular dive into Goethe's world
Margaret Agusta, Jakarta
One artist's exploration of the potential of materials and subject matter to define her personal journey through life is on display through July 7 at the Cipta II Gallery in the Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) arts center at Jl. Cikini Raya No. 73 in Central Jakarta.
With the theme, The Vision of Paradise: My Homage to Goethe, the solo exhibition of works by Hee Sook Lee-Niinioja sets forth the artist's singular view of the possibilities inherent in the creation and display of art, as well as her passion for the works of the great German thinker Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749- 1832).
The artist has approached the large open space of the gallery as more than just a venue to display her paintings, collages and other works done in various media. Through her creative endeavor, the space itself has become part and parcel of the overall presentation with the placement of plastic covered images of flowers on the floor of the gallery.
Two large carved wooden benches beckon visitors to sit and contemplate the harmony of the space thus defined as an artwork in its own right, as well as to take a longer and more relaxed look at the various works on display on the walls and columns.
According to the artist, who was born in Busan, South Korea, but who has traveled extensively and lived in several countries, most notably in the Middle East and Europe, she hopes to motivate the viewers of her work to think and, if possible, to interact with the environment she has created for them in the gallery space.
The artist is currently living in Jakarta with her husband, who is serving as Finland's ambassador to Indonesia.
During the opening of the exhibition on June 29, Hee Sook Lee- Niinioja, who has advanced degrees in design, art and art history, took the almost unprecedented step of leading visitors around the gallery with a translator to explain and answer questions about her work.
This dynamic, energetic interaction allowed for a lively look into her techniques and her reasoning for the various experimental approaches to the two-dimensional works she is displaying.
A number of the works on exhibit are drawings or collages done on paper in bright colored inks or pastels, which are framed in the conventional manner. The artist's exploration of the possibilities of visual expression do not end there however.
She has covered some of the glass surfaces of the frames with masking tape that has then been peeled away to reveal the images and designs underneath. On still other pieces, she has covered the frames holding her brightly colored depictions of flowers and abstract shapes with clear plastic upon which she has sprinkled splatters of gold paint.
She explained to her guests that she put the spots of paint over the top of her framed images in order to create an illusion of depth and dimension.
The artist, who has held solo exhibitions in Norway, Finland, Germany, Kuwait, Iran and Pakistan, feels that a large part of her purpose in life is to create an atmosphere of joy for others with the gifts God has bestowed upon her.
This is one of the reasons she is exhibiting her works in a homage to Goethe, to whom she feels indebted for spiritual awakening and growth.
"For me, art should provoke viewer's thoughts, either positive or negative in the context of God's essence," she writes in the exhibition catalog.
In the context of this statement, this exhibition does provide a harmonious, pleasant atmosphere that provokes the viewer to think about what art is about and what being an artist might mean.
-- I-box: The Vision of Paradise: My Homage to Goethe painting exhibition is open to the public through July 7 at Galeri Cipta II, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jl. Cikini Raya 73, Jakarta. For more information, please contact: 319 7639, 3162 789, 3989 9634.