Suhn Lee: Memento Mori

Opening Reception: Sunday, March 9, 2025, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Memento Mori marks the first institutional exhibition by the Los Angeles based artist Suhn Lee (b. 1983, Los Angeles) whose practice synthesizes ceramics and textiles. Drawn to the meditative and process-driven nature of these materials, Lee’s sculptures externalize the psychological experiences of anxiety, perfectionism, and grief. Informed by her Korean American heritage, the artist presents a series of sculptures that she describes as “creatures”: small to medium-sized ceramics armored with beadwork, sequins, and fabric. Their abstracted, geometric forms are inspired by ten symbols of longevity and prosperity derived from various Asian cultures, like turtles, clouds, and mushrooms.

Lee’s repetition-driven practice of stitching and adhering or shaping and firing clay becomes a process akin to a physical mantra of transmuting pain whose effects cultivate reverence for the mundane. “Remember you must die,” the dialectical expression behind the latin phrase that titles this exhibition mirrors Lee’s artistic practice of indexing life’s challenges as relics or tokens akin to evidence of a life well lived.

Suhn Lee: Memento Mori is curated by arts associate, Samantha Alexis Manuel with LAMAG curator, Hugo Cervantes.

In celebration of the gallery’s 70th year anniversary, LAMAG revisited its popular Open Call exhibition in 2023-2024, featuring 350 artists living and/or working in Southern California. In lieu of the traditional Best in Show cash prize, LAMAG awarded participating artist Suhn Lee with the gallery’s project space to develop an exhibition.