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Biography

Paint, canvas, frame, orientation and dimension—all are variables in Jane Lee’s hands. Through assiduous processes of layering, mixing, winding, wrapping, kneading, daubing and other acts of physical transformation, the renowned artist (b. 1963, Singapore) redefines paint and painting to produce dynamic, bold forms. Operating in a post-colonial Southeast Asian context, Lee re-examines the significance of Western painting practices while asserting her own culture. Pushing the boundaries of the medium, her work echoes the breakdown of cultural barriers in the era of globalization and affirms the universality of contemporary art.

 

Lee first gained critical acclaim when her monumental work Raw Canvas was showcased at the Singapore Biennale, curated by Fumio Nanjo, in 2008. Her work was then featured at Collectors’ Stage at the Singapore Art Museum in 2011 and in the Southeast Asia Platform, an exhibition of cutting-edge work from across the region at Art Stage Singapore in 2014. The following year, Lee’s work was selected for Prudential Singapore Eye, one of the largest surveys of Singapore’s contemporary art to date, held at the ArtScience Museum, and Medium at Large, a year-long exhibition at the Singapore Art Museum, where her large-scale installation Status, 2009, was acquired for the museum’s permanent collection. In 2015, Lee also participated in Frontiers Reimagined, at the 56th Venice Biennale. In 2018, Raw Canvas was prominently hung at the National Gallery Singapore. In 2023, her work was showcased in an immersive solo exhibition titled Lila: Unending Play by Jane Lee at the Singapore Art Museum.

 

Jane Lee has participated in numerous art fairs and exhibitions across the globe. Notable exhibitions include Jane Lee: Red States, a critically acclaimed solo exhibition organized by Sundaram Tagore Gallery at the Hong Kong Arts Centre in 2018; Meld, a solo Sundaram Tagore Gallery presentation at Art Basel in 2017; and two residencies at STPI in Singapore.

Artforum
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Artforum
Jane Lee at Sundaram Tagore Singapore (review) November 4, 2022

Curated by Singapore Art Museum veteran Tan Siuli, “Where Is Painting?” was Singaporean artist Jane Lee’s first solo show at home in eight years, and marked a return to painting following a period of experimentation with other forms, including prints, paper sculpture, and video.

Architectural Digest India
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Architectural Digest India
At Singapore Art Week, an all-women show confronts exclusion January 15, 2022

Sundaram Tagore Gallery’s show, A Room Of Her Own, features Anila Quayyum Agha, Tayeba Lipi, Lalla Essaydi, Karen Knorr, Miya Ando, Neha Vedpathak, Jane Lee and Susan Weil.

South China Morning Post
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South China Morning Post
Singapore artist’s solo Hong Kong show is a feast of colour, mostly one colour: red May 27, 2018

You can’t help but see red at Jane Lee’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong.

Ming Pao Daily
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Ming Pao Daily
Singaporean Artist Rethinks the Definition of Contemporary Art Using Cloth as Color May 31, 2018

What is the state of the canvas when it is cut, disassembled, or soaked in water to soften it?

World Sculpture News
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World Sculpture News
Richness of Red April 19, 2018

Jane Lee: Red States at Hong Kong Arts Centre.

South China Morning Post
Press
South China Morning Post
What’s caught our eye at Art Basel Hong Kong and Art Central March 2017

Sundaram Tagore Gallery showed Singaporean Jane Lee’s paintings of violently syringed, dripped and spread slashes of paint.

Blouin Artinfo
Press
Blouin Artinfo
Dealer's Notebook: Q&A With Sundaram Tagore June 2015

Blouin Artinfo speaks with Sundaram about STG's early days; what makes a good gallerist; and which historical figure he would like to share a drink with.

Artsy
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Artsy
Sundaram Tagore’s “World Art” Fills a Venetian Palazzo May 2015

Sundaram Tagore had his first taste of the Venice Biennale as a graduate student, when a scholarship from the Italian Ministry of Culture landed him in the city to study museology at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. Now, 26 years on, with eponymous galleries in New York, Singapore, and Hong Kong, Tagore has returned to mount his own exhibition to run alongside the 56th Venice Biennale.

The Artling
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The Artling
Interview with Jane Lee April 2015

Internationally-renowned artist Jane Lee was recently at the Singapore Tyler Print Institute for the first part of her artist residency at the STPI workshop.

Today, Singapore
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Today, Singapore
Jane Lee in Medium at Large, Singapore Art Museum April 2014

With the National Gallery SIngapore set to open next year, it's the perfect time for Singapore Art Museum (SAM) to fully embrace its position as a space completely devoted to the story of contemporary art.

當代藝術新聞
Press
當代藝術新聞
吉門營房夜未眠,15間畫廊聯合國開幕,新加坡當代藝術饗宴 March 2014

在《藝術登陸新加坡》舉辦期間,大會在新加坡畫廊區-吉門營房藝術村(Gillman Barracks)精心安排了場露天派對。Sundaram Tagore畫廊正展示新加坡藝術家李綾瑄(Jane Lee)的100 Faces。 Sundaram Tagore表示,新加坡是印度,中國和印尼的三個主力市場的樞紐,和東北亞的藏家基地香港一樣有重要的地位。

Yahoo News
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Yahoo News
Growing demand for works by Singapore artists January 2014

Art Stage's Southeast Asia focus has attracted buyers keen on exploring the emerging art scene in this region, with its strong cultural heritage.

My Paper
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My Paper
Singapore woos art buyers January 2014

Singapore is taking centre stage on the global art circuit this week, as collectors descend for South-east Asia's largest art fair.

Blouin Artinfo
Press
Blouin Artinfo
Art Stage posits that art can't be defined by price alone January 2014

"Art Stage has always had a strong Southeast Asian focus. But it has never fallen into the category of being a regional fair because it upholds international standards of presentation, and deftly mixes Western and Asian galleries of importance," says Sundaram Tagore.

The Business Times
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The Business Times
Art Stage: Faces to watch January 2014

Ask collectors of Singapore art whose works the covet, and "Jane Lee" almost always pops up.

Designare
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Designare
Splash of Inspiration January 2014

Local artist Jane Lee spins a layered tale with her paintings.

Harper's Bazaar Singapore
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Harper's Bazaar Singapore
Jane Lee at Sundaram Tagore Gallery January 2014

We reveal which artists will be capturing your imagination at this year's Art Stage.

Blouin Artinfo
Press
Blouin Artinfo
Jane Lee show at Sundaram Tagore Promises to be Must-See for Jan December 2013

It's been four years since the Singaporean artist held her last solo show, but during that period Jane Lee has kept herself busy, taking her work in a new stylistic direction.

Blouin Artinfo/Modern Painters
Press
Blouin Artinfo/Modern Painters
500 Best Galleries Worldwide July 2013

Sundaram Tagore Gallery has been named one of the top galleries in the world by Blouin Artinfo and Modern Painters magazine.

The Edge Singapore
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The Edge Singapore
Space for Art October 2012

Curator Sundaram Tagore tells Aimee Chan why the new art development at Gillman Barracks is so current and important.

ARTnews
Press
ARTnews
Jane Lee review August 2012

While other painters may parse pictorial or abstract traditions, the Singaporean artist Jane Lee plays with the stuff and stuffing of the painting. Employing the boldest colors—primarily reds—she uses pastry bags to build up near-sculptural agglomerations of acrylic paint.

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