The timeless sense of familiarity and the uncompromising attitude of contemporariness is regularly the first impression one gets when looking at the vibrant oils and pastels Rhys Lee. In his practice, Lee is putting an obvious focus on textures and layers, allowing materials and tools to leave marks of the process. (text by Sasha Bogojev)
Rhys Lee (1975) has held solo exhibitions since 2000 in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Sydney and internationally in New York, Germany, Paris and New Zealand. His work has been included in group exhibitions at Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne (2019), the Ian Potter Museum, Melbourne (2015), the Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of New South Wales (2012), Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery (2001), The University of Queensland National Artist’s Self Portrait Prize (2009), the Doug Moran Prize at the State Library of New South Wales (2009) and international commercial galleries in the USA, UK, Germany, France and Belgium. Rhys Lee has a Bachelor of Visual Arts, Graphic Design from the Queensland College of Art (1997). A monograph on the artist was published in 2009. Lee’s work is in the collections of the National Gallery of Australia, the National Library of France, United Bank of Switzerland, Artbank, University of Queensland Art Museum, Sotheby’s & BHP Billiton.