Gowoon Lee

Working on mass media and traditional painting, Gowoon Lee's artistic practice uncovers the foundational elements of violence, inebriation, and gender-specific clichés prevalent in children's animations. Lee delves into the cultural industry's fetishization of innocence, evidenced in iconic animations like Casper the Friendly Ghost, Tom & Jerry, and Mickey Mouse. Frames from television series that Lee consumed during her childhood are extracted precisely at moments of cognizance. Lee estranges these characters through eerily designed depictions, emphasizing the commodified appeal of endearment that these mainstream series have subtly embedded in collective memory. Within such portrayals, characters manifest in a seemingly intoxicated state. Adopting a wet-on-wet approach, culminating each artwork in a single session, her methodology emulates the hypnotic effect generated by animations and hallucinogenic visuals. The grandiosity of her recent creations facilitates an enveloping experience, amplifying the intangible essence of animated language. The utilization of muted, pastel hues, coupled with an endearing aesthetic, subtly masks the inherent aggression and control mechanisms within many cartoons.