Premiere artist talk: Mire Lee

Mire Lee, Artist, Amsterdam and Seoul
Alvin Li, Curator, International Art, Tate, supported by Asymmetry Art Foundation, London
Moderator: Mohamed Almusibli, Director and Curator Kunsthalle Basel, Basel

In the run-up to her presentation in the Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall, Seoul- and Amsterdam-based artist Mire Lee discusses the visions, philosophies, and technologies behind her large-scale kinetic sculptures and installations. Her visceral pieces show viewers ‘what they don’t want to see', evoking uncanny confluences of the seemingly organic and the mechanical. In this in-depth conversation, Lee will reflect on her points of departure, the resonance of her works in today’s global art ecosystem, and what we might see in London.

Mire Lee is known to create kinetic sculptural installations that appear shabby, ridiculous, and precarious. Lee’s work challenges notions of selfhood, social acceptability, and cleanliness; obliterating societal conventions of aesthetics and desire in the face of her orgasmic, transgressive, and kinetic technologies. Recent solo exhibitions include: ‘Black Sun’, New Museum, New York City, 2023; ‘Carriers’, Tina Kim Gallery, New York City, 2022; ‘Look, I’m a fountain of filth raving mad with love’, ZOLLAMTMMK, MMK, Frankfurt, 2022; and ‘Carriers’, Art Sonje Center, Seoul, 2020. She is also selected as the artist for the Turbine Hall Commission 2024, which will open at Tate Modern in October 2024.

Alvin Li is a curator and writer based in London, where he is Curator, International Art, supported by Asymmetry Art Foundation, at Tate Modern. He has curated exhibitions and projects at Tate Modern, London; Para Site, Hong Kong; and Club ALL, Shanghai, among others. He has presented his research and writing at TBA21–Academy; The Courtauld, London; Triple Canopy, New York City; CURRENT: LA Public Art Triennial, to name a few. He is the Curator of Mire Lee's forthcoming Turbine Hall Commission, which will open at Tate Modern in October 2024.

In 2024, Mohamed Almusibli became the director and curator of Kunsthalle Basel. Almusibli was the co-founder and curator of the independently operated art space Cherish in Geneva. His curatorial work is characterized by a sensitive engagement with contemporary artistic positions. He has demonstrated a close connection to artists of our time, an innovative perspective on the use of new technologies, and a keen interest in bridging the local and international art scenes.

The Art Basel 2024 Conversations program is curated by Kimberly Bradley.

At the artist’s request, the recording of this conversation is not available online.