Hell Mural
- Kay Seohyung Lee
- Weitzman School of Design (PennDesign)
- 2021 Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander Artists Support Grant
Park, 2021, Acrylic on Canvas, by Kay Seohyung Lee.
Recent MFA graduate Kay Seohyung Lee will produce a mural representing the unique and complex experiences and struggles Asian bodies endure in Philadelphia, the birthplace of America. Over the past year, Lee has been creating a series of drawings and paintings that specifically focus on the Asian diaspora and body politics of Asian women. At first, the spaces she constructed
resembled what we typically label “hell” — a space of chaos, pain, and struggle. However, over time, this “hell” transformed into more of a safe space where moments of joy and humor coexist with disorder and violence. Witnessing the blatant attack on the Asian community from all corners on a daily basis during the pandemic made Lee flee to the corner of her small apartment in West Philadelphia, and there she created her own small, quaint hell where she found peace. Consisting of multitudes of figures and complicated details, Lee’s “hellscapes” deliver an intense and overwhelming viewing experience. The mural, site to be determined, will represent the unique and complex experiences and struggles that Asian bodies endure in Philadelphia, the birthplace of America.