By: Christopher Jobson
Early last year, artist Bovey Lee (previously) made the move from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles, experiencing the overwhelming emotions and turmoil one faces when moving across the country. As a way to reconcile the differences between the two cities, Bovey began working on a new body of cut rice paper artworks that display the features and landscapes of her old a new lives as if twisted together on the spiraling tracks of rollercoasters.
Cut by hand from Chinese xuan paper, the pieces depict collisions of skyscrapers and flower bouquets, buffalos carrying mountainous stacks of suitcases, and in a piece titled Eternity – The Rescuer tumbling wedding cakes are surrounded by storm clouds. She shares with us about the new work:
Speaking to the motivation of my relocation, the works also feature imagery associated with romantic relationships, and wedding bouquets, engagement rings, cakes, and eternity symbols populate the pieces. In these works, I draw parallels between one’s romantic relationship and our relationship with nature. While seeking balance, eternity, stability, and harmony in both relationships, the journey we take on are often complex, dramatic, changing, and lopsided. But there is also incredible beauty, energy, richness, and even whimsy in chaos and imperfections through the ups and downs, and trial and error.
Many of these pieces will be on view starting next week at Gavlak Gallery for her show titled Divertical (a name taken from the world’s tallest water rollercoaster) starting January 9th. What you see here is just a fraction of her latest art, see plenty more in her 2015 gallery.