Artist Overview
Born in 1985 in South Korea, Lee studied at Seoul National University before developing her practice between Seoul and London. Her paintings draw on the visual grammar of online portraiture — the selfie, the snapshot, the uncredited image — subjecting these found photographs to a slow, meticulous painting process that strips away their legibility while preserving their psychological charge. Rather than documenting individuals, the works examine how images shape the perception of selfhood.
Night, Flash, and Girls 02 (2024, oil on cotton, 80.3 × 80.3 cm) was acquired from the primary market in June 2025. It anchors the collection's contemporary post-internet figurative position alongside Angela Santana.
Institutional Trajectory
Works held in permanent collections including the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA) and the Kistefos Museum, Norway. Solo exhibition FACE ID, London (2025). Growing curatorial attention at the intersection of figuration, post-internet image culture and identity politics. Dual representation across Carlos/Ishikawa (London) and Jason Haam (Seoul) provides institutional reach across two major markets, supported by a developing secondary market in Asia.
SeMA, Seoul
Kistefos Museum, Norway
FACE ID — London 2025
Carlos/Ishikawa · Jason Haam
13-Dimension Scoring Framework
| Category | Score |
|---|
| Contemporary Relevance | 4.4 |
| Acquisition Logistics | 4.4 |
| Aesthetic Impact | 4.2 |
| Sustainability & Conservation | 4.2 |
| Mission Alignment | 4.0 |
| Collection Building | 3.9 |
| Market Validation | 3.8 |
| Education & Engagement | 3.6 |
| Conceptual Depth | 3.5 |
| Underrepresented Narratives | 3.4 |
| Medium Innovation | 3.3 |
| Critical Reception | 3.3 |
| Historical Significance | 2.1 |
Holding Overview — Night, Flash, and Girls 02, 2024
Acquired
Night, Flash, and Girls 02 · 2024 · Oil on cotton · 80.3 × 80.3 cm · Primary market · June 2025 · Held in the Genesis Collection
Rising
Primary market range moving upward · Oil on cotton placement pricing · Cost basis sits below current gallery levels
Secondary
2024 Phillips Hong Kong auction result above primary levels · Confirms emerging secondary market demand and upward price trajectory
Representation & Market
Represented by Carlos/Ishikawa (London) and Jason Haam (Seoul). Growing presence at international art fairs, with secondary market activity confirmed by a 2024 Phillips Hong Kong result well above primary levels. Demand within the young Korean figurative cohort is strong and the acquisition cost basis already sits meaningfully below the current primary range — a favourable mark-to-market position.
Carlos/Ishikawa, London
Jason Haam, Seoul
Phillips Hong Kong
Collection Rationale
Lee anchors the collection's contemporary figuration narrative with a specifically post-digital, screen-mediated perspective, in strong dialogue with the Angela Santana and Mickalene Thomas holdings around identity, the gaze and mediated representation. Acquired with a 5-year no-auction ROFR. Oil on cotton is conservation-stable. Monitor institutional collection uptake and sustained critical discourse as the key value catalysts; the favourable cost basis provides downside protection.
Post-Internet Figuration
Favourable Cost Basis
5-Year ROFR
Dialogue with Santana · Thomas
