Lee Sara, Wonderland [Courtesy of Rho Gallery] Jewel-like eyes, packed with stars, hearts, and floral patterns, gaze back at the viewer. Within these large eyes, layers of colorful motifs are densely stacked, as if revealing another miniature "Wonderland."

A solo exhibition by Lee Sara, an artist who has long depicted a fantasy world where childhood innocence comes alive, titled "A Girl From Wonderland," opens on the 2nd at Rho Gallery in Gwanhun-dong, Seoul. The exhibition features 13 new paintings and 16 sculptures.

Lee Sara's body of work began with photorealistic painting and evolved through an exploration of the human interior and a longing for childhood, eventually developing into her own utopian narrative known as "Wonderland."

The essence of the Wonderland the artist speaks of is "childhood innocence." The girls in her work invite viewers into a space that is entirely happy and filled with curiosity, awakening pure sensations and emotions that have long been forgotten.

Detail from Lee Sara's Wonderland [Courtesy of Rho Gallery]The heart of her work lies in the eyes. The large pupils are filled with a kaleidoscope of colorful patterns—stars, hearts, and flowers. These eyes serve as a concentrated representation of the artist’s Wonderland while simultaneously acting as a portal from reality into a world of fantasy.

Such visual compositions are completed through a long, iterative creative process.

The process involves applying a mixture of materials, including architectural mediums, onto wooden panels and sanding them down repeatedly before applying a thick layer of white paint. Afterward, she paints with acrylics and uses a sharp blade to intricately scrape away the paint, creating a pattern of white lines.

The shimmering, light-like white highlights in her paintings are not applied with a brush, but are created by scraping. Because of the precision required, this work is extremely time-consuming.

Reflecting on her process at the gallery, the artist explained, "This labor-intensive scraping is a ritualistic act, much like rubbing one's hands in prayer. I infuse the work with the hope that the viewers who encounter it will find happiness."

Exhibition view [Courtesy of Rho Gallery]In this exhibition, the girls previously found only in paintings are, for the first time, realized as three-dimensional sculptures. The eyes of these sculptures carry the same vibrant colors and delicate surface details as the paintings, marking an attempt to expand the Wonderland built on flat surfaces into a three-dimensional space.

"I poured all my time and sincerity into capturing everything in the eyes," the artist emphasized. "I worked with the mindset of showing the ultimate level of delicacy."

Artist Lee Sara explains her work at Rho Gallery in Gwanhun-dong, Seoul, on the 1st. [Photo: Yonhap News]Lee Sara is the granddaughter of the first-generation theatrical icon the late Lee Hae-rang and the daughter of Lee Suk-ju, a prominent figure in photorealism. She holds a bachelor's and master's degree in painting from Sookmyung Women's University and a doctorate in painting from Hongik University.

Her work, characterized by dreamy pastel tones and meticulously detailed eyes, has gained commercial attention, leading to collaborations with brands such as Samsung Electronics, Adidas, Coreana Cosmetics, Renault Korea, and Haribo. Last year, her artwork was even featured on the uniforms of the professional women's volleyball team, the "JungKwanJang Red Sparks."

She has held solo exhibitions at venues including the O-Art Museum in Gyeongju, the POSCO The Sharp Gallery, and the Grand Hyatt Seoul. Her works are held in the collections of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (MMCA), Moran Museum of Art, and Seoul Museum.

Exhibition view [Courtesy of Rho Gallery]