Secret Underwater Gardens
Gallery Chimera kicks off 2025 with Yubi Lee’s solo exhibition
It’s 2025 and ART is the word of the year for us!
If “attend more art exhibitions” wasn’t on your list of “New Year’s Resolutions” let’s edit that list now, because it’s time to immerse yourself more into the world of art. Atlanta has an abundance of galleries to explore this year and Gallery Chimera is one that you must add to your list.
Gallery Chimera is kicking off the new year with Secret Underwater Gardens, a solo exhibition by artist Yubi Lee. This exhibition is a collection of 30 pieces, bridging the abstract and the figurative, bringing together landscapes and portraits that reveal the inner sanctuary of Lee's unconscious. Through these works, Lee explores the themes of the inner child and vulnerability, metaphorically depicting them as gardens submerged underwater. These hidden gardens reflect both the beauty and depth of the human experience— what lies beneath the surface, invisible but ever-present. The exhibition serves as a contemplative space where viewers can journey through their own inner worlds, connecting to universal emotions of growth, resilience, and beauty. You can get a first view of Secret Underwater Gardens this Saturday, January 11, 2025 at the opening reception from 6:30pm-9:30pm. If you are unable to make it to the opening reception, you’ll have the opportunity to check out this whimsical exhibition during the gallery’s daily operating hours until February 1, 2025, with the artist talk on January 25, 2025 at 6:00pm.
In this exhibition, Lee transformed the gallery’s space with extra attention to detail featuring a beautiful selection of floral installations and natural botanicals to represent the flowers growing over time in our unconscious. On opening night, not only will you immerse yourself in the wonders of Secret Underwater Gardens, but you will have the opportunity to witness Lee embody the direct connection with her work through her unique Hanbok dress, which she designed to match her exhibition’s works. Her Hanboks represent beauty, power, and cultural dignity– and they allow her to show that she is also the artwork.
A recent graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) , Lee's journey started in Seoul, where she was born. Throughout life she has lived in Japan, New Zealand, England, and the United States– where she is currently based. Lee has a unique perspective on art and life that can be attributed to her multicultural upbringing and she continues to draw inspiration from tangible life experiences, people, and nature. To ensure she continues fueling her creative engine, she incorporates a variety of art forms into her daily life, such as junk journaling- which she creates completely from scratch, sewing– as fashion is a core element of her paintings, and photography– adding another dimension to her overall artistic practice.
While creating the collection for this solo exhibition, Lee connected with her inner child in such a way that she allowed herself to let go of control and just create like a child. “I learned to catch, and action, my first thoughts of ideas. Usually some ideas or thoughts about a piece randomly, but so clearly, hit me while I do my first layers of collage and plastering. I used to filter and censor all those thoughts, but through the process of this collection, I started to just write those ideas right away and take it in action without questioning— like a child's instinct. Usually, inner child's thoughts are always crazy, but true to heart. Children don't question if they like the texture of sand or if they don't like having paint all over them. They just do it,” she says. Through this process, however, Lee didn’t just learn to let go and freely create, she realized that her inner child is not always a happy child just exploring and creating– but also a child wanting to unleash sadness and frustration. Her process of creating this collection also incorporated journaling which allowed the deeper exploration of those negative emotions that have been long buried. “l felt as if I have dived into the deepest underwater the past few months. Sometimes in life, I have to hold [my] breath so I could go in deep and find the most sparkling treasures hidden beneath. I have done the job of the mermaid. I found the treasure, and now I am slowly coming back to the shore to share it to the world.”
Gallery Chimera Presents: Secret Under Garden, a solo exhibition by Yubi Lee
January 11, 2025- February 1, 2025
624 North Highland Ave NE
Atlanta, GA 30306
(401) 644-7165
Opening Reception: an evening of art, conversation, and connection
Saturday, January 11, 2025. 6:30pm-9:30pm
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/secret-underwater-gardens-solo-exhibit-by-yubi-lee-tickets-1113036444969?aff=oddtdtcreator
Art Talk with Yubi Lee: an insightful discussion on the themes behind the exhibition and the artistic process.
Saturday, January 25th, 6:00pm-7:00pm
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/artist-talk-secret-underwater-gardens-by-yubi-lee-tickets-1114052955379?aff=oddtdtcreator