Erica Lee: From the Cave
August 26 - September 09,2021
From Houston Arts Alliance: "Like Plato’s cave dwellers, we were isolated from the world in 2020. Our sole connection to the outside became our devices. On August 24th, artist Erica Lee will begin the process of transforming a house’s entry room into a painted cave, which is in reference to both the Allegory of the Cave and the ancient wall paintings found in the Lascaux Cave, to explore the ways in which isolation and technology have shaped our psyche over the past year and consider how we may go about returning to the world. Part performance, part installation, From the Cave will take place over two weeks and be accessible to viewers online by way of four virtual live events and periodic social media posts. To create the cave, Lee will paint her house's entry room, which will be covered in unstretched canvas. The performance will happen solely at night, and Lee will use her personal devices, which emit blue light, as her primary light source. Working with pigments containing iron oxide, referencing the earth pigments found in paleolithic caves, Lee will begin painting with raw umber, red oxide, and mars black. Later in the process, Lee will introduce the color blue highlighting the introduction and influence of the digital world across our perception of reality. Viewers are invited to watch as the work is being made and submit questions. Instagram Live events will take place on @ericareedlee on Thursday, August 26th 8:00-9:00 PM as well as Thursday, September 2nd 8:00-9:00 PM. After the cave is completed on September 3rd, a live video walkthrough will take place on Saturday, September 4th 1:00-1:30PM and again 8:00-8:30 PM. A website documenting the process will be available to the public on September 15th, 2021. For media inquiries or press images, please email Erica Lee at ereedlee@gmail.com. From the Cave is funded in part by the City of Houston through Houston Arts Alliance."
Artist talk: September 04, 2021 | 1-1 pm
Online walkthrough with the artist via Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/ericareedlee/
