A sense of outcry pervades the space as pale pink fabrics, eerily reminiscent of human skin, flutters in the air, propelled by a large turbine slowly turning from the ceiling. The clatter of machinery and the distant echo of dripping liquid reverberate throughout the expansive 35-meter-high, 3,300-square-meter (approximately 1,000 pyeong) hall. On Oct 8 (local time), London’s Tate Modern Turbine Hall—widely regarded as one of the foremost venues for contemporary art—was transformed into a striking blend of an industrial-era factory and a futuristic sci-fi setting.
The spotlight is on 36-year-old Korean artist Lee Mire (or Mire Lee), who has unveiled her five-month solo exhibition, “Hyundai Commission: Mire Lee: Open Wound,” at one of the world’s most prestigious contemporary art institutions. Lee is the first South Korean artist and the youngest ever to hold a solo exhibition in the Turbine Hall, following in the footsteps of renowned artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Olafur Eliasson, Anish Kapoor, and Ai Weiwei. While Korean-American artist Anicka Yi was featured in 2021 as part of the annual project that invites one artist each year to create large-scale works sponsored by Hyundai Motor Group, Lee is the first South Korean to be selected. When asked if she felt pressure following such esteemed artists, Lee smiled, saying, “People often ask me that. It seems like people want me to say I’m nervous, but honestly, I was more excited than anything.”
Lee’s work strikes a delicate balance between beauty and the grotesque. Fabric pieces, which she refers to as “skin,” hang from 54 chains across the hall, while 7-meter-long turbines with tentacle-like interiors drip pink liquid onto the floor. Every 25 seconds, the turbines emit a clanking sound as they change direction, combining mechanical noise with the splashing liquid to create an immersive auditory experience that captivates both sight and sound. Lee drew inspiration from the building’s history as a former thermal power station, reactivating a disused crane in the hall and designing turbines that evoke factories from the Industrial Revolution. “Reviving this industrial space reflects on the history of labor that once defined this site, where human ambitions drove industry, yet individuals were often alienated by it,” said Lee Dan-ji, Director of Tina Kim Gallery.
The hanging fabric “skin” was inspired by the changing rooms of coal miners, where work clothes were suspended on pulleys before miners descended into the shafts. This exhibition makes visible the usually hidden production process. Throughout the show, turbines pump liquid dye, which the fabric absorbs, drying and transforming into new “skin” pieces that are then displayed. Over the course of the exhibition, these new fabrics will join the existing 100 pieces, ultimately reaching 150 by its conclusion.
Explaining the exhibition’s title, “Open Wound,” Lee noted, “Industrialism itself is a kind of scar. Artists strive to change the world through their work, but often they cannot. The title underscores the scar left by that realization.” She elaborated, “It’s not about resignation but rather the understanding that some wounds never fully heal.” For Lee, beauty is intertwined with pain. “Isn’t being moved a matter of having your heart stirred? I find beauty in remembering, living with wounds, and enduring hardships and tragedies together,” she said.
Tate Modern Director Karin Hindsbo praised the selection of Lee for this year’s commission, stating, “Turbine Hall is the first space encountered by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Lee Mire’s subversive, multi-sensory work is an ideal choice.” Curator Alvin Li echoed this sentiment, remarking that Lee’s work “sensually explores the contrasts and boundaries between humans and machines, softness and hardness, inside and outside, individual and collective.” The exhibition, which runs until Mar 16., is free to the public.
—Heo Yun-hee
