esther eunjin lee

Esther Eunjin Lee, The Impossible New Global Democracy For All Humxnity, Mixed media installation image, 2020

In an era of lab-grown meat, social credit scores, frozen embryos, artificial wombs, artificial intelligence, deepfakes, and endless more previously unfathomable phenomena–why does the concept of equality across all beings often feel so futile? Why is envisioning those in power to also genuinely care about their people such a far away fantasy? Are we to just accept that leadership and corruption are a fixed marriage? If the structures of colonialism, corruption, exploitation, etc., can be built by humans, can they not be destroyed by humans, too? As we witness the world constantly shifting, and being able to connect with those across the planet like never before, maybe a breaking point towards concrete global solidarity is not entirely implausible. Perhaps in a few centuries or so, we could potentially see a unified, universal, true democracy. 

Esther Eunjin Lee is a person housed inside a body of Korean origin, born in Seoul and relocated to the United States of America soon after her exit from the womb. She navigated the majority of her childhood/adolescence through the rural-leaning white suburbias of Northern Maryland–managing to escape not unscathed, but with her cultural identity as intact as possible. She was fortunate enough to attend college, receiving her B.A. in studio art and graphic design from the University of Maryland, College Park, and participating in the Studio Art Departmental Honors Program. Since graduating in 2018, she has stayed in the Maryland outskirts of Washington, D.C. and exhibited work at local venues, such as Portico Gallery, Dwell DC, and IA&A Hillyer. Outside of her practice, Lee currently works as a professional picture framer for a living, picking up freelance graphic design work here and there.