Space 776 is pleased to present “appleappleappleAppleapple” a solo exhibition of a new painting series and an installation by a South Korean NYC-based journal artist Enzo Lee, also known as PIECE OF ENZO
The apple has always been a rich source of symbolism throughout human history. As the fruit offered by the tree of knowledge from the Garden of Eden (with freewill) set into motion all of our conflicts between good and evil; it symbolized Newton’s genius, Steve Jobs’ creativity, Snow White’s poison, William Tell’s pin-point accuracy and so much more. The simplicity of an apple becomes the cornucopia of complexity. In this “appleappleappleAppleapple” painting series by Enzo Lee, the artist expresses our uniqueness and individuality within the crowd by describing our apple/ness. The paintings are presented in a site specific installation that recreates the artist’s studio, it is a 3-D version of Lee’s personal life journal. He states that we are all only apples, but different apples. Enzo Lee is an artist who considers his life, itself, the artist’s medium. Lee’s artistic practice is the nurturing study of the artist’s identity and purpose in life. As such, Lee’s compositions act as a journal, conveying pieces of his life and experience. He most often creates with acrylics, charcoal, and pens on canvas or cardboard. “It is a represented ideal, a statement, an emotion, a thought, a practice, a style, a love, and a state of mind of a present soul. But above all, It is simply life as an art.” – Lee says.
Enzo Lee (b.1988, South Korea) is a journal artist based in Brooklyn, New York. Enzo first started his journey as an artist by carrying a journal during his teenage years. Uncertain of the future, he started to write down his feelings, thoughts, and experiences to study himself, hoping to gain control over his life. Over time, the habit naturally evolved into something more and became not only a form of recording but also a form of expression. His own voice, the art. Enzo published his first book of essays and poems, “Bird in Space”, in 2014. Realizing that the voice shouldn’t be limited by any specific medium, he went on to study filmmaking to learn multi-dimensional aspects of art. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Filmmaking from the School of Visual Arts, and works on a permanent video journal series called “Piece of Life”. Currently, there are about 120 episodes online. Since the 2020 COVID, Enzo also started to explore the medium of painting and is now expressing journals through large paintings. Enzo is pursuing to develop his philosophy and artistry of using a journal as a tool to live life itself as a form of art, the “Piece of Enzo”.
