VLAB is pleased to present the solo exhibition titled “SPARKLING PIECES” featuring new works by BYUN SEHEE that have never been shown before in an exhibition. Strongly influenced by Hieronymus Bosch's works, the artist recreates worlds such as the garden of delights with picturesque characters and with some of the works being “sparkling pieces”. 

Byun Sehee (b. 1990, Jeju, South Korea) is a painter whose works are filled with characters that are inspired by childhood imagery. Her vivid colors and bold contours portray her paintings as if they are illustrations from children’s books and 90’s cartoon shows taking the viewer back in time to that age. The narratives in her paintings are closely related to childhood memories and emotions. 

Sehee's extraordinary acrylic technique is further emphasized this time having created some sparkling pieces with sparkling glitter, hence the title “Sparkling pieces”. As the artist’s states: “Sparkling pieces is a metaphorical expression. Happy memories are like Sparkling pieces. I expressed happy memories and beautiful times in my daily life and life as pieces”. 

In her works, the artist incorporates very personal stories in a hybrid way, as she says “as I put several stories from my experiences on one canvas, I create big and small stories through various characters, animals and objects within the work. There are also moments when new narratives are created, including some mythological stories or tales.” 

Some of the works in this exhibition have characters flying with umbrellas, as if they were dandelion seeds flying freely in the wind. Other characters such as the “ Wizard” has the role of creator and helper within the creative universe of the artist, as if he were a “God”. As for the female character “Daisy,” she is a young girl who admires the wizard, as young girls between the ages of 13 and 17 tend to do and who go through an emotional roller coaster, as Sehee says “In fact, ‘Daisy’ is named after a flower that my mother loves. My mother is sometimes strict, but she has a warm heart and girlish emotions. So the idea that I want to become a warm person like my mother when I grow up is something I've been thinking about since I was young, and at some point, as I grew up, I think 'daisy' became the flower I love. Maybe it could be the daughter's desire to look like the mother.” 

Byun Sehee’s solo exhibition “Sparkling pieces” will be on view at VLAB Madrid from June 6th to June 29th, 2024.