New York City Comptroller John Liu Welcomes Korean Artist Gil Woo Lee

NEW YORK, Feb. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Korean artist Gil Woo Lee's "New York State of Mind" is being shown through February 27th at White Box. Gil Woo Lee is a renowned Korean artist and a professor of Chungang University, and this is his first solo debut in the US.  He received an unprecedented welcome by over 150 people attending the private VIP opening event on Thursday evening, including New York City Comptroller John Liu, Asian super pop icon the Wonder Girls, and other celebrities and media.

Mr. John Liu, in his welcome speech for Lee, said that he too had a dream to succeed in New York when he came to America at age five. As an immigrant Asian-American, he pushed himself to pursue his dreams and New York made it happen. Succeeding outside of the country as a Korean artist can be quite challenging. Gil Woo Lee overcame this challenge in 2009 with a sold-out show in Beijing. "From translation to the nuances of the art business, chances can easily be that his potential remains theoretical. With dedication and passionate talent combined with support and a whole lot of luck we are in celebration today," said Mike Takano, CEO of Alliance Venture Group. 

Widely recognized in Asia, Gil Woo Lee was most recently awarded the Grand Prize at the 14th Asian Art Biennale Bangladesh 2010. Jagged urban skylines meld with traditional Asian landscapes, while larger than life figures like New York's Mayor Bloomberg, Monroe, Jackson and Warhol lose definition as they are treated to the artist's dissolving technique.  Dongsu Kim, President of Korea Models Association acquired Lee's work featuring a Dance in Nature image of Audrey Hepburn and said, "I can't imagine the pain and patience behind these millions of burned holes, but overlapping with a beautiful figure like Audrey…."

"This is a pivotal point for Lee's works," said Sobin Chang, a major sponsor and CEO of IRIS Management Consulting Group, "his dream of New York is no longer imagination. All his future work will be significantly influenced by this experience -- both in concepts and technique."

White Box is a city-funded nonprofit organization pursuing more artistic talents than commercialism. Notable sponsors include actor Sol Kyung-gu, actress Kim Changsuk and PGA Champion Y.E. Yang.

SOURCE White Box