Slow Burn, 2022
Sandra Eula Lee is a multidisciplinary artist who transforms commonplace objects and found materials, disrupting assumptions related to the permanence of a fixed state. Inspired by the surroundings of the various countries that she has resided in, Lee alters materials through chemistry by applying elements such as heat or fermentation to present the idea of perpetually evolving landscapes.
Often using industrial materials in her sculptures, Lee includes bricks, concrete, electrical wire, and other materials of construction. She recombines them with handmade forms in her sculpture and installations, exploring changes made to the built environment. For her first solo exhibition at the Phillips Museum of Art, Lee includes works inspired by her isolation during the Covid-19 pandemic which highlight society's heavy reliance on technology. Working from her studio at home she explored the combination of different electronic materials with the minerals and natural elements we have relied on since ancient times. Her exhibition also includes a new version of her Portable Pond, inspired by the ponds located within East Asian gardens. She conceives of the garden as a space of contemplation, reflecting its surroundings.