Lucid Dreaming
Lucid Dreaming presents the work of artists Yaching Cheung and Ailyn Lee in an interplay between dreamscapes that transcend the borders of consciousness. The two person exhibition features works of ceramic sculpture, digital painting, animation, and performance video that emphasize complexities of the human psyche through corporeal experiences. Bodies in fragmented motion symbolize disembodiment, mirroring the impact of insomnia and anxiety on the body and forging a shared journey into the enigmatic landscapes of the immaterial.
Cheung, with an interdisciplinary background in dance and multimedia visual arts, explores the interplay between body, objects, and architecture, challenging viewers with intense dreamlike settings. Her digital paintings and animations offer multi-sensory explorations of liminal space, depicting bodies in motion through the dream space.
Simultaneously, Ailyn Lee’s sculptures and films narrate a personal journey through chronic insomnia and anxiety. Inspired by memories of her grandmother’s antique shop and her mother’s studio, Lee’s dreamscapes echo the disrupted sleep narrative, crafting spaces filled with old furniture and figurative sculptures.
Cheung and Lee collaboratively explore the boundaries between reality and dreams, emphasizing the visceral experiences of insomnia and the ethereal sensations of the dream space. Lucid Dreaming invites participants on a collective journey through the landscapes of
the subconscious, providing an exploration of the nuanced realms within the dream world.
Ailyn Lee is a sculptor and filmmaker based in New York City. Lee received her MFA and BFA from the School of Visual Arts, NYC. She has exhibited her work at various venues in New York, including A.I.R Gallery, Wassaic Project, SVA Chelsea Gallery, and the Busan International Art Fair in South Korea. She has completed residencies at the Wassaic Project and Vermont Studio Center.
Lee’s practice is inspired by her experience coping with chronic insomnia and anxiety. To escape these chaotic feelings, she began to dream up surreal, theatrical situations that made her feel comfortable, safe, and secure. Lee’s childhood was often spent in her grandmother’s antique shop, or the art studio of her mother, who made work about the human figure. These spaces were perfect for playing hide-and-seek, or staging theatrical plays—adolescent activities that mirror elements of Lee’s current artistic practice. Lee dreams up spaces crowded with old furniture, mysterious objects of unknown origin, and fragments of figurative sculptures.
Yaching Cheung is an interdisciplinary artist in dance, visual arts, and multimedia. She earned her BFA from the China Central Academy of Fine Arts in 2020 and is currently pursuing her MFA at Hunter College in New York City. During her undergraduate studies, she studied abroad in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and learned Butoh dance with the Mortimaru company in Berlin. Residing between Berlin and New York, Yaching’s artwork has been showcased at various
international exhibitions such as The Bunker in Beijing, Basis Frankfurt, and Fotogenia Film Festival. Her work is distinctive for its exploration of the interplay between the body, objects and architectures. Yaching’s pieces often depict intense, dreamlike settings that challenge viewers to rethink their everyday interactions with the environment and objects around them.
Curated by Tiffany Smith