First Look: Artist Vicki Lee’s New Gallery Is All About the Senses

If you’ve never been invited to lie down on a yoga mat in the middle of an art gallery, you’ve clearly never been to one of Vicki Lee’s shows. The Sydney-based artist is known for her creative instincts. And with a new gallery opening on September 20, she’s operating on her own plane. “The intention of what I’m doing is for my own artistic indulgence,” Lee says.

The latest edition of Vicki Lee Gallery on Bayswater Road – she previously had a space in Surry Hills – coincides with the launch of Lee’s latest work: a multi-sensory experience titled Inner Peace, Dinner Please.

The 260-square-metre gallery is split across two levels with multiple “experiences” dotted throughout the space. Lee’s slightly ambivalent worldview permeates the exhibition. “There’s friction between the idea of some form of happiness and the turbulence on the way there. I don’t think [happiness] exists for a long time. There’s no real destination, it’s just the acceptance of what life is.”

As you enter the gallery, you’ll notice a palpable tension in Lee’s artistic choices – she is incredibly serious and cracking jokes at the same time.

For part of the immersive experience, Lee has turned one corner of the industrial, chamber-like room into a serene listening space. Yoga mats are unfurled on the concrete floor and visitors are welcome to take a seat – or just shavasana – as synth sounds are played by a wall of hidden subwoofers.

“I really wanted to create a space where people can come in, enjoy sound as an art form, and not have to socialize to enjoy music,” Lee tells Broadsheet, lying supine as she speaks.

Taking cues from sound healing (a wellness practice that uses vibrations and specific frequencies to instil a sense of calm), the playlist is filled with tracks formed by instruments like singing bowls and tuning forks. On Saturdays, the audience will be treated to live “sets” by DJ and producer Stu Turner. “He’s going to be making textures and different movements based on what’s happening on the spot. That’s the part I really love.”

An enclave upstairs brings a different speed to the space. Lee has constructed a “confessional”, where visitors are encouraged to write down their “sins” and release them by sending them through a running shredder. “I think there’s a huge amount gained when you discard things. I’m probably a little bit over the top, to be honest,” she admits. Lee plans to create a piece of work from the shreds of paper as they accumulate. A light installation, which is currently set to cycle from deep peach to red, illuminates this corner of the gallery.

Lee’s husband is photographer Ted O’Donnell. The couple have embarked on a collaborative photographic practice spanning several years, and the latest works from their signature floral series are currently on display in the room adjacent to the confessional.

Touching on another sense, Lee provides visitors with an inhaler that is filled with the “scent of sin” to complete the experience. “When you kneel in a [Catholic] church and the wood has that smell – years of frankincense. That’s what I wanted to capture, [and want] them to remember after they’ve left.” Guests are invited to take the inhaler home with them.

While Vicki Lee Gallery might be new to the neighbourhood, Lee herself is not. A Bondi local, she’s been using the Bayswater Road space as a studio and creative workshop for the past few years. But the intention had always been to open it to the public. “I got distracted painting, I was having such a good time.”

For Lee, the gallery is a place of constant evolution – she’s already making changes. “Nothing will stay. I like to change things over as energetically as I can.”

Vicki Lee Gallery
16-18 Bayswater Road, Potts Point
(entry via Kellett Street)

Hours:
Thu to Sat 10am–4pm

www.vickileegallery.com/
@vickileelee