Khan Lee

Born 1972, Seoul, Korea
Lives and works in Vancouver, BC, Canada

Education

2020–2024

MFA, Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

1996–2000

Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Vancouver, BC

1991–1993

Hongik University School of Architecture, Seoul, Korea

Solo Exhibitions

2026

Equinox Gallery, Vancouver (forthcoming)

2025

“”, Sweet Cereal Mountain, Vancouver

2022

Lost + Found, Equinox Gallery, Vancouver

2020

Hearts and Arrows, Mount Pleasant Community Art Screen, organized by grunt gallery, Vancouver

2019

Wings of Desire, Republic Gallery, Vancouver

2016

흉내내기, Republic Gallery, Vancouver
Ascending: Black, White, and Brown, installation in collaboration with Andrew Yong Hoon Lee, Dynamo Arts Association, Vancouver
Take Your Time, Republic Gallery, Vancouver

2014

Shunt, Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops, BC
Hearts and Arrows, outdoor screening, Tottori Residency Festival, Yonago City, Tottori, Japan

2013

Hearts and Arrows, curated by Makiko Hara, with an essay by Jenifer Papararo, Centre A, Vancouver

2012

Circulation Patterns, two-person exhibition with Michelle Allard, curated by Rachel Lafo, SFU Gallery, Burnaby, BC

2009

Untitled, curated by Makiko Hara, Centre A, Vancouver

2006

Summer2005, curated by Steven Tong, CSA Space, Vancouver

Public Artworks

Reflection, permanent public sculpture, commissioned by Anthem, installed 2026, Burnaby, BC
Bell, permanent public sculpture, commissioned by Pinnacle Living, installed 2021, Richmond, BC
108 Steps, permanent public sculpture, commissioned by Westbank Corp., installed 2018, Vancouver
Rain, permanent public sculpture, commissioned by Edgar Development, installed 2017, Vancouver
Red, Blue, Green, temporary public art work at Offsite, curated by Diana Freundl, installed 2016, for Vancouver Special: Ambivalent Pleasures, curated by Jesse McKee and Daina Augaitis, Vancouver Art Gallery
Ich Cho Shin Mu, temporary public artwork, organized by AIR75, installed 2015, Yonago City, Tottori, Japan

Selected Group Exhibitions

2026

Highlights from the Collection, Vancouver Art Gallery

2025

Hearts and Arrows, outdoor screening for Luminocity, organized by the Kamloops Art Gallery, Kamloops, BC
Sound performance in collaboration with Ben Bennett, Woojae Kim, and Rahul Nair, for Resonance through the haze, Helena Gutteridge Plaza, Vancouver

2024

Stage Presence, Bard MFA Class of 2024 Thesis Exhibition, Bard Exhibition Center/UBS Gallery, Red Hook, NY
Black and White and Everything In Between: A Monochrome Journey, curated by Diana Freundl with Joanne So Jeong Chung, Vancouver Art Gallery

2023

Supply Chain Issues, MKG127, Toronto, ON

2022

50 Years | 50 Stories, Equinox Gallery, Vancouver

2018

Composition for Seven Pianos, installation and sound performance at Robson Square, for Ten Different Things, organized by Emily Carr University and CityStudio, Vancouver
People’s Salon, outdoor installation and performance at Cathedral Square Park, in collaboration with Andrew Yong Hoon Lee, for What Are Our Supports, curated by Joni Low for Richmond Art Gallery, and hosted by Or Gallery, Vancouver

2017

Blue, outdoor installation for Lumière Festival, Vancouver
Red, Green and Blue, outdoor installation for Nuit Blanche, Winnipeg, MB
Red, Green and Blue, outdoor installation for Nocturne Festival, Halifax, NS
Leaning Out of Windows – Step One, organized by Dr. Randy Lee Cutler and Ingrid Koenig, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, Vancouver
Here: Locating Contemporary Canadian Artists, curated by Swapnaa Tamhane, Aga Khan Museum, Toronto, ON

2016

An agreeable state of uncertainty, curated by Stephen Waddell, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver

2015

All is now from here on, site-specific installation at ALSCO Laundry, in collaboration with Holy Hum (Andrew Yong Hoon Lee), for ISEA2015: Disruption, 21st International Symposium on Electronic Art, Vancouver

2012

Beyond Vague Terrain: The City and the Serial Image, curated by Jordan Strom, Surrey Art Gallery, Surrey, BC

2010

Magic, tegenboschvanvreden, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Everything Everyday, curated by Bruce Grenville, Vancouver Art Gallery, Vancouver
Soapbox, featured work for New Forms Festival 2010, curated by Malcolm Levy, W2 Storyeum, Vancouver

2008

Return Policy, curated by Julianne Claire, Shudder Gallery, Vancouver

2006

Why I’m so unhappy, curated by Michèle Faguet, Or Gallery, Vancouver

2004

Velo-mutation, kinetic sculptures, produced by Sara Ross, Jim Hoehnle, and Khan Lee, various locations, Vancouver
EVENT, curated by Sarah Macaulay, Old Electric Building, Vancouver

2003

Raw Potential, design exhibition, 44 Water Street, Vancouver
No apologies necessary, design exhibition, Prince Takamado Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

2000

Sound Separation, curated by Jonathan Middleton, Western Front, Vancouver

Publications and Reviews

2024

Offsite: The Anthology, edited by Stephanie Rebick, co-published by Vancouver Art Gallery and Information Office
Michael Turner, “Black and White And Everything in Between: A Monochrome Journey,” Preview (Sep/Oct)

2023

Leaning Out of Windows: An Art and Physics Collaboration, edited by Randy Lee Cutler and Ingrid Koenig, co-published by Occasional Press and Emily Carr University of Art + Design
Adam Lauder, “Supply Chain Issues,” in Esse 108 “Resilience” (Spring/Summer)

2022

What are our supports?, edited by Joni Low, co-published by Richmond Art Gallery, Information Office, Doryphore Curators Society, and Art Metropole

2019

Justina Bohach, “Khan Lee at Republic Gallery, Vancouver,” Akimbo, February 26
Rhys Edwards, “Khan Lee,” Canadian Art, March 21

2017

Leah Sandals, “What Makes a Canadian Artist?,” Canadian Art, July 20

2016

Vancouver Special: Ambivalent Pleasures, edited by Daina Augaitis and Jesse McKee, co-published by Vancouver Art Gallery and Black Dog Publishing
“Review: Red, Green, Blue,” e-flux, December 15
Grady Mitchell and Tina Shabani, interview, 01 Magazine, issue 12

2014

Michael Turner, “Kamloops’ Luminocity Paints the Town Blanche,” Canadian Art, November 18

2013

Curran Folkers, “The Five Best Art Shows of 2013 in Vancouver,” The SB Blog, December 19
Robin Laurence, “Fall arts preview: Artist Khan Lee creates new meanings,” The Georgia Straight, September 11
“Khan Lee: Bringing Universality to Art,” Schema Magazine, August 14
Michael Turner, “Q&A: Haema Sivanesan on Centre A & Vancouver Scenes,” Canadian Art, July 25
“Khan Lee: Hearts and Arrows,” Here and Elsewhere, July 16
Kevin Griffin, “Art as labour: Carving an ice diamond one chip at a time,” Art Seen: The Vancouver Sun blog, July 3
Amy Fung, “Khan Lee at Centre A,” Akimblog, June 25
Fany Qiu, Epoch Times, June 17
Robin Laurence, “Khan Lee’s Hearts and Arrows ponders the nature of perfection,” The Georgia Straight, June 7
Rachel Dudley, “Centre A launches video installation by local Asian artist,” The Source, May 20

2012

Robin Laurence, “Circulation Patterns at SFU Gallery appears oddly incompatible—at first,” The Georgia Straight, April 3
Michael Harris, “Review: Beyond Vague Terrain, Surrey Art Gallery,” February 1

2010

Rachel Lafo, “Review: Untitled,” Sculpture Magazine, November

Selected Collective Practices

Instant Coffee

Instant Coffee is Jinhan Ko, Khan Lee, Kate Monro, and Jenifer Papararo; for a complete list of public artworks and exhibitions see www.instantcoffee.org

Public Artworks

Say nothing in bright colours, public artwork, installed 2015 for the City of Burnaby, Burnaby, BC
Perpetual Sunset, permanent public artwork, installed 2012 for the City of Richmond, Richmond, BC
Afghan Mural, permanent public artwork, installed 2011 for the Commonwealth Community Recreation Centre, Edmonton, AB
Nothing happens in good weather, temporary public artwork, installed 2011 for Celebrate Vancouver 125 Mural Program, Vancouver
Light Bar, temporary public artwork commissioned by the City of Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Public Art Program, installed for for Bright Light Public Art Project 2010, Vancouver
A Bright Future, temporary public art work, organized by City of Vancouver and TransLink, installed 2009 for 88 BLOCKS Art on Main, Vancouver

Exhibitions

2023

Bibliography, group exhibition, MKG127, Toronto, ON

2019

Pink Noises: we waste time, MKG127, Toronto, ON

2018

Pink Noise, One&J Gallery, Seoul, Korea
Pink Noise Pop Up, grunt gallery, Vancouver
Record Shop, group exhibition, MKG127, Toronto, ON

2014

The hero, the villain, the salesman, the parent, a sidekick and a servant, Teck Gallery, SFU Galleries, Vancouver

2013

Take the easy way, MKG127, Toronto, ON

2012

Feeling So Much Yet Doing So Little: 12 years of Instant Coffee Projects, Western Front, Vancouver

2011

There is No Romance in Taking a Risk, MKG127, Toronto, ON

2009

Disco Fallout Shelter, Subvision Festival, Hamburg, Germany
Disco Fallout Shelter, Toronto Sculpture Garden, Toronto, ON
Nooks, for How Soon is Now: Contemporary Art from Here, Vancouver Art Gallery
Light Bar, installation and satellite event, hosted by Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, Victoria, BC

2008

Say Nothing in Bright Colours, MKG Gallery, Toronto, ON
Light Bar, organized by Flaggfabrikken, Bergen Kunsthall, Bergen, Norway
What We Bring to the Table, Instant Coffee installation in group exhibition, curated by Marnie Fleming, Oakville Gallery, Oakville, ON

2007

If you lived here you’d be home by now, for Encuentro Internacional Medellín 07, Museo de Antioquia, Medellín, Colombia
If you lived here you’d be home by now, Henry Art Gallery Satellite, Bumbershoot Festival, Seattle, WA
Nooks, Mercer Union Gallery, Toronto, ON

Intermission

Intermission was Derek Brunen, Khan Lee, Marianne Bos, Brady Marks, Miriam Needoba, Natalie Purschwitz, and Steve Calvert; for a complete list of exhibitions see www.inter-mission.org/im

2003–06

Annual Intermission Event, hosted by Mercury Theatre, produced by Intermission for SWARM, organized by Pacific Association of Artist-Run Centres (PAARC), Vancouver

2005

Blow Out, Instant Coffee vs. Intermission installation/ performance, 69 Pender Gallery, Vancouver

2003

Raw On, Intermission performance, IM Studio, produced by Video In, Vancouver

2001

Prohep, Intermission installation/ performance, Western Front, Vancouver