Sarah Lee

Welcoming the late summer, 39+ Art Space proudly presents Confluence of Culture, a dynamic group exhibition featuring two local artists, alongside seven internation talents. Their diverse practices and experiences capture...

Sarah Lee (b.1990) is a Los Angeles-based artist. She was born in 1990 in New York and studied Fine Art at the Pratt Institute of Fine Arts. She received her BFA from Art Center College of Design in 2016, and MBA from Seoul National University in Seoul, Korea in 2021. Her art dwells in the contentious realms of politics and philosophy. Raising important questions on the tenuous boundaries of social constructs through her practice, Lee redefines contemporary notions of intuition and logic.


Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow is Lee’s first solo in Singapore. The series is largely influenced by the complexity of the human psyche, and key concepts such as liberty, power relations, and solitude. The philosophical musings of thinkers like Michel Foucault, particularly his notion of Episteme, inform the artist’s exploration of the authenticity of individual freedom.

Lee references classical literature and philosophy, drawing from texts like Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey", Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" and "Macbeth", Hobbes' "Leviathan", Russian novelist Dostoevsky's "Notes from Underground" and "Crime and Punishment", Sophocles' "Antigone", and Machiavelli's "The Prince". The narratives, struggles, and contemplations in these works have been instrumental in shaping the thematic landscape of the series.

The artist layers abstract visual language through reinterpreting the strong emotive visuals of Baroque classics. Deconstructing their essence such as the use of vibrant and dynamic colour intense contrasts of light and dark, weaving them into a contemporary narrative. Created to serve as a bridge between past and present, reflecting the timeless themes of power dynamics, social constructs, and the struggle for freedom.

The gestural brushstrokes and rich colour palette are elements that creates an intriguing juxtaposition when viewed in the context of the profound philosophical and societal issues the paintings grapple with. This approach serves to challenge traditional representations and infuses the work with a sense of spontaneity and unpredictability, reflecting life's inherent uncertainties.

The repetition in the title echoes the recurring cycles and patterns in history and human behaviour. It also alludes to the idea of hope and resilience - the notion that despite the struggles we face today, there is always a "tomorrow" to strive for.

39+ Art Space is delighted to announce its upcoming group show, presenting a selection of three extraordinary artists: Emily Cheng, Pearl C. Hsiung and Sarah Lee. This group show marks a rare opportunity to enjoy the works of these wonderful artworks exhibited together in Singapore.

The works that will be showcased will explore themes ranging from the very humanly structural concepts of knowledge and power to critical re-evaluations of the anthropocentric sublime, to the cosmic bridge between mind, space, and spirit. These women boast rich understandings of history and philosophy and display visually impactful command over composition, color, and scale. While vastly different in style and focus, they are united in that they are women of Asian descent pursuing their creative practice in America.

Though, rather than being reduced to these straightforward categorizations, Cheng, Hsiung, and Lee are adept at interweaving their unique perspectives with their individual theoretical investigations, frequently citing feminine energy, eastern artistic sensibilities, and eastern philosophies as driving forces in their explorations of more universal subject matter.