A new solo exhibit of ballpoint drawings by Il Lee
Images courtesy of the artist and Art Projects International, New York
Il Lee is a New York artist who for over 30 years has been exploring contemporary possibilities in drawing and painting in his chosen medium of ballpoint pen. In recent years, his massings of looping, energetic lines have given way to more angular, more interrupted, even more urgent, styles of mark making. His work is far-ranging. He has created massive monolithic forms on equally large canvases, and has continually experimented with countless smaller drawings and with various grounds and integrations of line work and color. Lee’s rigorous approach allows the viewer to be sensitive to nuances created through the smallest of deliberate changes—a thicker line, a more compact swirl, a smoother ground.
In a new solo exhibit that opens this month, the Korea-born Lee will feature his dramatic ballpoint pen works at the Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas, Texas. All pieces shown on these pages will appear in the exhibition, titled “New Vision: Ballpoint Drawings by Il Lee.” Organized in collaboration with Art Projects International, New York, the showcase will include eight large-scale works and 50 small works on paper created from 1997 to 2010.
For more information, visit www.artprojects.com or www.crowcollection.org.
MC-001 (2007)
Ballpoint pen on paper
BL-092 (2007)
Ballpoint pen on paper
BL-075 (2006)
Ballpoint pen on paper
Untitled 978 I (1997-98)
Ballpoint pen on paper
