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.
