Yi-Shyuan Lee

Yi-Shyuan Lee 李怡璇

Born 1999, Tainan, Taiwan

2011–2017 Lived in Canada

2024 M.F.A., Painting, Department of Fine Arts, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU)

2021 B.F.A., Western Painting, Department of Fine Arts, NTNU

Artist Statement — Glass Sphere Series

The Glass Sphere series uses the finite space of a painting to probe the tension—and possible reconciliation—between inner and outer worlds, revealing a quiet longing for stability and belonging. Daydreams that surface in still corners—childhood memories, adolescent fantasies, or hopes for the future—are gathered into circular canvases. Through layered oil glazes, I construct the image of a miniature world contained within a glass sphere, compressing these sensations into a single locus.

By examining the cooperation between the canvas’s physical frame and pictorial space, the work proposes a reciprocal relationship between painting and viewing. Replacing the conventional frame with the image of a glass dome both “opens a window” and seals an interior: a visual game in which inside and outside continuously negotiate one another—the conceptual core of the series. Depicting the sphere’s serene interior alongside the turbulent reflections of its surroundings, the paintings seek a sense of belonging within constraint. Between the push and pull of interior and exterior, daydreams come to rest in the brief moment when the two find accord.