Isaiah Lee's Dollhouse Paintings Explore Faith, Memory, and the Unknown
Isaiah Lee, a Chicago-based artist, brings a haunting twist to childhood toys in his latest painting series, featuring a colonial-style dollhouse with a striking teal roof and gabled windows. Growing up in a strict Christian family in Missouri, Lee explores the challenges of his background and his identity as a Black man in America. His piece, "Shepherd I," shows a little green astronaut herding animals inside the dollhouse, paired with a large skull and a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows, highlighting the power of memories. Lee’s upcoming solo show, "A Thief in the Night," opens at crosswalk gallery in Chicago on October 16, while his works will also be featured at Hyde Park Art Center until November 1.
Key facts
- Isaiah Lee is a Chicago-based artist.
- Lee was born into a fundamentalist Christian family in Missouri.
- His paintings feature a colonial-style dollhouse with a teal roof and gabled windows.
- The series includes works titled "Shepherd I," "Romeo and Juliet," "Juliet," "Parable of the Sower I," "Weapons," "On the Threshold of Liberty I," "An Old Friend," "Scaredy Cat," and "Courage."
- Lee's solo exhibition "A Thief in the Night" opens at crosswalk gallery in Chicago on October 16.
- His works are on view at Hyde Park Art Center through November 1.
- Lee's art explores contradictions in his religious upbringing and being a Black man in the U.S.
- The artist uses scale differences and shadow to convey the unknown and memory's exaggerations.
Entities
Artists
- Isaiah Lee
Institutions
- crosswalk
- Hyde Park Art Center
- Colossal
Locations
- Chicago
- Missouri
- United States