Lee Wen | The Journey Continues: Lee Wen’s Exploration of Identity

This exhibition will showcase Lee Wen’s iconic works, which include fine art photography prints from his performance works, as well as performance paintings and drawings. Featured in the exhibition are some of his most important series, including “Splash!”, “Strange Fruit”, “Anthropometry Revision”, and “Yellow on Yellow Dreamboat” — works that have become landmarks in his artistic journey and have played a pivotal role in defining his legacy in the art scene. Many of these pieces, in their other editions, are part of the permanent collections of prominent local and international institutions.

No stranger to the arts scene in Singapore and internationally, Lee Wen (b. 1957 – d. 2019, Singapore) was a multidisciplinary artist and one of the country’s most internationally recognised contemporary and performance artists, playing a key role in shaping the development of performance art in Asia. He was known for challenging societal norms with works that were both thought-provoking and sharply satirical. In 1988, at the age of 30, Lee Wen discovered his true calling as an artist, which led him to leave his banking career and enrol at LASALLE College of the Arts, a decision made at a time when the professionalisation of art was still uncertain. One thing certain was that Lee’s belief in freedom was undeniable, and anyone who engages with his work can truly grasp the essence and determination that defined him. In the same year, he became a member of The Artist Village, founded by fellow artist Tang Da Wu. Lee later moved to London to pursue his studies in art at the City College of London Polytechnic in 1990.

Lee’s performances and work started as early as the 80s, he was ahead of the times in the bold social investigations and psychological interrogations of Asian culture and society. His work is complex, a mix of humour, criticism, sadness, and bitterness, with a depth that is not often found in the local art scene. Beneath the humour in his work lies the frustration and ingenuity of an artist who developed in a context where public self-expression faced significant challenges, such as the ban on funding for unscripted performance art in Singapore from 1994 to 2003. Despite this, Lee continued to perform both in Singapore and abroad. Highly respected internationally in his field, he was invited to perform on numerous international platforms, with appearances in cities such as Berlin, Glasgow, Venice, Brussels, Madrid, Tokyo, Toronto, Beijing, Santiago, Sydney, Dresden, Tel Aviv, Bern, Mexico City, Helsinki, and Havana, among many others, from 1998 to 2014.

Over the span of 30 years, Lee participated in more than 85 exhibitions and performances, both locally and internationally. His works have also been featured at prestigious art fairs, such as Art Basel Hong Kong in 2014, marking his debut at an international art fair, followed by Art Paris in 2015, Art Miami in 2017, and Art SG in 2024. Throughout his career, he has garnered numerous accolades and his works are part of the permanent collections at institutions.

Lee Wen passed away on March 3, 2019, in Singapore, but his legacy continues. His life and work reflected his belief that continuous learning and growth are fundamental to strength and progress—principles he embraced until his final moments. For Lee, art was not just about creation—it was about pushing boundaries and inviting others to join him on a journey of continuous growth and exploration.

About the Artist

Lee Wen (b. 1957 – d. 2019, Singapore), is a multidisciplinary artist and one of Singapore’s most internationally recognised contemporary artists. Best known for his Yellow Man series, painting his own body with bright yellow poster paint, he expresses an exaggerated symbol of his ethnic identity as a citizen of Singapore. Lee now lives and works extensively on a global circuit and is based between Singapore and Tokyo.

Lee Wen’s performances and installations often expose and question the ideologies and value systems of individuals as well as social structures. His work attempts to combine Southeast Asian contexts with international currents in contemporary art.

His early practice was associated with the Artists Village, an alternative art group in Singapore and later forged a more individuated artistic career. (Lee officially resigned from TAV in 2011).

Lee has been represented at the Singapore Biennale (2014), Busan Biennale (2004), the 3rd Asia Pacific Triennial in Brisbane (1999), the Sexta Bienal de La Habana, (1997), the Kwang Ju Biennial (1995) and the 4th Asian Art Show, Fukuoka (1994).

Lee’s enthusiasm as an artist goes beyond his solo work and continues to be active and involved with the new generation in spawning possibilities of collaborations, network and discourse. In 2003 Lee initiated, with the support of the Artists Village, “The Future of Imagination”, an international performance art event and “R.I.T.E.S.- Rooted In The Ephemeral Speak” (2009), a platform to support and develop performance art practices, discourse, infrastructure and audiences in Singapore.

Since 1999 Lee has worked with Black Market International an innovative, ground-breaking, utopian performance art “group” comprising artists from various countries and cultural backgrounds. Lee initiated the Independent Archive in 2012 to develop documentation, research and resource sharing of ephemeral art manifestations in Singapore as well as internationally.

Presented by iPreciation, a Singapore art gallery specialising in contemporary Asian art.