From April 9 to April 30, 2017, the Belskie Museum of Art & Science located in Closter, New Jersey, is hosting a group art exhibition titled “Dynamic Dimensions” that will feature the work of fourteen artists who live and work in or around New York and New Jersey. Over forty-five artworks will be on display, and they range in mediums from paintings to sculptures to ceramics and collage. The show aims to engage audiences through the diversity of the styles of artwork and the varied backgrounds of the artists.
Art
Stephanie S. Lee is one of the artists who will be displaying work at the exhibition.
Stephanie—who also curates exhibitions—first learned about the museum from Julie Jang who was once the director of the Nabi Museum of the Arts. Stephanie was intrigued by the Belskie Museum of Art & Science and thought it was an ideal place to have a show. “I actively seek public places to show Artwork for both myself and talented fellow artists all the time,” Stpehnaie S. Lee declared. “There are so many great artists, and I hope I can be a bridge to help share their artwork with audiences not only in commercial-related galleries but also in public venues.” Stephanie came up with the concept of the show when she considered how today’s materialistic society tends to measure things in numbers and vertical systems resulting in things such as art and culture—which many people regard as having incomparable values—being judged on sales records and/or auction prices.
“In addition to the financial struggle that most artists have, living as an artist and continuing the quality artwork gets threatened by this capitalistic point of view,” Stephanie explained. “That is why I think the support and understanding the worth of art and culture is important, and I value interaction between artists as much as the relationship between artist and the audience.” By organizing small groups of artists and building relationships with them through exhibitions and regular meetings, Stephanie hopes to foster feelings of empathy and compassion within creative circles.
“By sharing our thoughts freely and criticize each other's work without offending each other, we can move forward and grow together,” she stated. “Most importantly, it becomes a power source to let us stay strongly opposed to getting judged by the capitalistic view and continue making good artworks.”
Exhibit
In “Dynamic Dimensions” Stephanie will be displaying two paintings called “Cabinet of Desire II” and “Gold Tiger with Clover” which represent—and depict never-ending aspirations and desires of human beings such as the pursuit of happiness.
Like many of her artworks, Stephanie’s style is heavily influenced by Korean Folk Art, and she frequently employs artistic techniques such as chaekgeori in her creations. Her work will stand alongside hot-glue sculptures, compositions made from human hair, and more. “Through this exhibition, artists share and exchange energetic and diverse points of view through their work,” Stephanie declared. “By looking at the wide range of high-quality artworks from the seasoned artists presented in this exhibition, the audience can have a chance to understand art and culture in horizontal perspective without limits, and feel the dynamic energy to fulfill their lives.”
Future
“Stephanie came to us, and we liked what we saw,” said Kurt Haiman, the Museum Director.
“This exhibition will be one of the most diverse and interesting that we have had the honor and pleasure of hosting and we have original shows every month. Every show is different. You can check our website for details about future exhibitions.” Stephanie is also anticipating future shows and events. In September, she will display artwork at the Korean Cultural Center in Washington DC with her group, The Drawing Room New York, as part of an exhibition called “Evolving.” In December, she and six other artists will be part of a group show in New York’s Flushing Town Hall titled “Queens: Envisioning Habitats.”
