Chang Hyun Lee (b. 1997)’s solo exhibition Vanitas will be on view at Shower from August 5 to 27.

Working as a dressmaker and artist, Lee examines the fashion industry and history, viewing clothing as a product of labor and rethinking our relationship with it.

In this exhibition, the artist discusses the temporality of modern clothing and the symbolism of labor derived from clothing. The artist focuses on the fact that clothing outlasts the body, and then depicts the life of clothing as it loses its context and becomes a mere object over time. In (2020), the artist reconstructs the embroidery of a 1770s men’s waistcoat, showing how the dress has lost its splendor. Meanwhile, the artist recognizes that clothing records the bodies of both the wearer and the dressmaker. He says that the clothes that are produced and worn through many skins are the products of labor, confirming the importance of labor. In the exhibition, the relationship between clothing and the body is reinterpreted this way through the drawings of suits.

The works on exhibition – paintings on the floor, frames on the walls, and dresses- are mostly made of fabric. The off-white fabric flutters throughout the exhibition, inviting visitors to re-read the context of clothing and reflect on its aesthetic value.

Vanitas 
08.05 – 08.27, 2023
Shower
GF. 61, Duteopbawi-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul
Thurs – Sun 14:00 – 20:00