Currently on View: Aaryn Lee – Stillness in Motion

This exhibition round includes works provided by Aaryn Lee which will be on view in the North Floor Gallery from August 1 – September 30, 2023.  Lowe Mill A&E invites patrons and art lovers to join us for Open Studio Night, a building-wide experience when our over 150 studios will be open to the public.  The evening also includes receptions for all seven of our gallery spaces. This series gives the public a chance to meet and interact with visiting artists and discuss their work as it is on display and available for purchase. Come out, enjoy a pleasant evening, and maybe you’ll find that special piece of art that speaks to you!  The Open Studio Night reception is Saturday, September 30 from 5-7 pm.

 

About the exhibit:

“Stillness in Motion” acknowledges the importance of pausing, embracing silence, and fully experiencing the present moment. Through rhythmic and resonant visual language, I explore the tension and transformative potential that arises from deliberate pauses and repetitive gestures. This new body of work examines the delicate interplay between stillness and motion. Engaging in a somatic process, I embark on a journey of self-discovery that opens up deep layers of emotions, memories, and traumas. With repetitive gestures, I am able to create a space where stillness and motion harmoniously coexist, inviting viewers to immerse themselves in the contemplative experience. 

Within this creative space, themes of mental health, trauma, memory, ritual, and meditation are examined, as well as the tension and balance between chaos and order. Layer by layer, the work becomes a sanctuary that offers momentary relief from tensions, traumas, and unconscious actions. This space offers mindfulness whenever it is needed. Life is fast, and my mind often races to try to keep up. The repetitive gestures in my practice provide me solace and clarity, offering a much-needed pause amidst life’s chaos. It is actually within the motion itself that I find the ability to pause, breathe, reflect, process, and think clearly. It is stillness in motion. 

My mixed media work on canvas utilizes materials such as acrylic, oil, ink, graphite, and charcoal. My practice thrives on the foundation of curiosity, openness, and experimentation. Through deliberate gestures, I discover mindfulness, while the array of marks captures a visual record of the ever-changing landscape of my state of mind. This approach forms an intricate visual tally of my lived experiences. My environment and upbringing, particularly the overcast tones reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest, and my background in intaglio printmaking, also influence my visual language and palette. The significance of scale gives me boundless space and time to enter the flow state, and as viewers engage with the repetitive marks, layers, textures, and media, I hope that they can encounter moments of transcendence and stillness. 

About the artist:

Aaryn Lee is an interdisciplinary artist practicing in drawing, mixed-media, printmaking, installation, projection, time-based media, and performance. Her art tends to be repetitive in nature, somber in mood, and characterized by muted overcast tones that reflect her Pacific Northwest roots. Central to her artistic vision are themes of memory, ritual, body dysmorphia, and the female body. Aaryn engages with the work through a somatic approach that is rooted in experimentation and curiosity. 

Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised in the Pacific Northwest, Aaryn has been based in Huntsville, Alabama since 2013. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Art: Art History with a Studio Concentration from Portland State University, and a Master of Fine Arts in Visual Art from Lesley Art + Design, where she was awarded the Stauch-Mosse Merit Scholarship. Aaryn has exhibited her work in solo and group exhibitions at venues such as the Gadsden Museum of Art (AL), The University of Alabama in Huntsville (AL), The Lunder Arts Center (MA), Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment (AL), Gallery 360 (WA), Huntsville Hospital (AL), and Gallery 1:11 (AL). 

In addition to her studio practice, Aaryn is an adjunct professor at The University of Alabama in Huntsville and The University of North Alabama where she teaches drawing foundations and three-dimensional design. She has a public studio at Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment, the largest privately owned arts facility in the south, and can be located in studio 325 (third floor south).