Christine Yerie Lee | BUL: When Fire Breathes Cloud
March 29th – April 9th, 2025
Solo exhibition at Human Resources LA, Los Angeles, CA
BUL: When Fire Breathes Cloud was a solo presentation of my multimedia opera project BUL불 at Human Resources LA. The video installation included my experimental rock opera film BUL (2023) and its newly completed sequel SWAN SONG (2025), marking five years of ongoing research, making, and collaboration. BUL불 is inspired by both the Korean folktale of the Bulgasari, an iron-eating monster who liberates the oppressed by devouring the weapons of the corrupt, and the North Korean film Pulgasari (1985), a Godzilla-esque work that was directed by South Korean Shin Sang-Ok while being held captive by North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. BUL, 불 meaning fire in Hangul, reimagines the ancient monster and forms an untimely meditation on ancestry, kinship, and what the future owes the past. The space was divided into two sections by opposing transparent curtains where the audience could view both videos simultaneously and move through the borders seamlessly. Individual project details on subsequent pages.
BUL불
2023, 22 min total
Digital 4K video with sound
SWAN SONG (BUL II)
2025, 22 min total
2-channel digital 4K color video with sound
The opening reception hosted the book launch of BUL (2025) published with FRIEND EDITIONS (New York). The book is part-songbook and part-artifact of the multimedia opera project. The exhibition closes with the open-mic event Bulgasari LA with permission from original event founder Lee Han-joo. Bulgasari events began in Seoul in 2003 and are an ongoing showcase of experimental music, avant-garde art collaborations, and improvisational performances. This project was funded in part by the College Art Association’s Visual Arts Fellowship, multiple grants from the California Institute of the Arts, and the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant. The exhibition was organized by Ajani Brannum.
