Tom Lee: Sheer Delight
September 6 – October 12, 2013
Artist’ Lecture: September 5, 7:00 pm, Blount Auditorium
Opening Reception: September 6, 6:00-8:00 pm, Clough Hanson Gallery
As delicate as it is violent and containing as much of Tom Lee's wit as it does his bite, "Sheer Delight" both comforts and confronts. Lee presents an entirely new body of work, deftly crafted with the particulars of Clough-Hanson Gallery in mind. When confronted by the floor to ceiling windows that occupy a large portion of the walls, Lee joked "I'll have to make curtains."
Lee did make curtains, in addition to large, hand-turned wooden posts, immense cut-paper doilies, and 3D-printed sculptural wall pieces. The opaque blinds that normally cover the windows have been removed, allowing natural light to filter through Lee's gauzy window coverings. Visitors are encouraged to experience the installation at various points throughout the day, as the character of the space shifts dramatically with the changing light.
Lee has been teaching at the Memphis College of Art since 1989 and has had solo exhibitions at the Mississippi Art Museum, Arkansas State University, Delta State University and the Power House. In addition, his work is in the collection of the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, and he has received individual artist grants from both the Tennessee and Mississippi Art Commissions.