Minkyu Lee at the opening of his solo exhibition "Instinct" at Mindy Solomon Gallery in Miami, Florida.Works by Minkyu Lee, professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, are featured in “Instinct,” a solo exhibition in Miami, Florida, through July 18.
A multimedia artist whose practice centers on vessel- and furniture-making, Lee works primarily in ceramics and wood. At UAB, he is chair of the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Art and Art History.
“Instinct” is presented by Mindy Solomon Gallery. Lee has participated in several group exhibitions and art fairs with the gallery, but this marks his first solo presentation.
Featuring both functional and non-functional design works, the exhibition highlights Lee’s commitment to exceptional craftsmanship and meticulous detail. The pieces include chair sculptures and the remarkable butterfly violin.
All the works on view embody a sense of movement and gesture. Utilizing hardwoods as his primary medium, Lee carves softness and fluidity into these forms, according to the gallery’s exhibition statement. “Instinct” reflects the artist’s intuitive sensibility — an innate drive to create flow within inanimate objects and reveal the vitality that lies beneath their surfaces.
Featuring both functional and non-functional design works, “Instinct,” presented by Mindy Solomon Gallery, highlights Minkyu Lee’s commitment to exceptional craftsmanship and meticulous detail.“Lee’s artistic practice delves into the foundational structures that shape both our physical and metaphysical realities, he says. The chair, with its intrinsic relationship to the human body, has become a focal point in his work.
As humans, motion is our universal language,” Lee said. “Body language, born from movement, is a primal expression of feelings and needs — an essential mechanism for survival. These motions and gestures form the core of our communication, offering insights into the nature of life itself. My current work seeks to document these instincts and desires, capturing the raw interplay between movement, form and meaning.”
One of the highlights of the exhibition is Lee’s handmade violin. Originating from his furniture practice, the butterfly violin continues his investigation into the relationship between the body, movement and human experience. While the chair reflects the body’s physical presence, the violin becomes an extension of gesture, rhythm and emotion through sound. The violin exists simultaneously as an object and a vessel for expression.
Butterfly Violin by Minkyu LeeIn developing this work, he studied historical traditions and methods of sound-making while reinterpreting and reinventing the instrument’s form through the language of the body.
“Just as body language communicates emotion and instinct, music carries a similarly primal capacity for connection and meaning,” Lee said. “The form of this violin attempts to visualize that exchange, tracing the interplay between movement, resonance, structure and emotion. Through these gestures, the work reflects my ongoing interest in uncovering the hidden systems that shape how we experience and understand the world.”
Mindy Solomon Gallery is open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and by appointment. Visit MindySolomon.com for more information.