In 1917, Marcel Duchamp revolutionized the canons of art when he signed a porcelain urinal with the name “R.Mutt” and submitted it to the exhibition of the Society of Independent Artists. His unorthodox approach launched a new trajectory in how art can be created and interpreted. This legacy continues strong today, with artists further pushing the boundaries of conceptual and “readymade” art. Margaret Lee is one such artist whose work blurs the lines between artistic realism and object authenticity. Her installation at Dikeou Collection, Think About Tomorrow… or Don’t and three oil paintings on linen, Zebra (huh/what) are both works that reference things that are real, yet makes the viewer looks closer and think critically about what distinguishes these as works of art rather than replicas.

Created in 2007, Think About Tomorrow… or Don’t is an interpretation of the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. The original singular granite monument stands much larger than Lee’s 10 foot bifurcated wooden installation, is triangular in shape rather than rectangular, and is inscribed with text specific to the Wright Brother’s achievements in flight. By adjusting the size, presentation, material, and message of this national monument, Lee’s work presents the viewer with something familiar yet paradoxical. The emphasis on paradox, which is central to Lee’s practice, is reaffirmed through the title, where Lee “attempt[s] to move toward a deeper understanding of what propels us all to move toward anything at all.” Embedded in the structures, an abstracted sun with radiating beams is neither rising nor setting, but rather caught within a conflicted state between the triumphant ascent of the first flight or the violent crash of a kamikaze attack.

A few rooms away from Think About Tomorrow…or Don’t are Lee’s three Zebra (huh/what). This trio of oil paint of linen, cut to the approximate dimensions of an actual zebra hide and painted with unique stripe patterns, advances Lee’s interest in the readymade. While the notion of the readymade stems from utilizing preexisting/prefabricated utilitarian objects and recontextualizing them as art objects, Lee takes the extra step to actually create her readymades by hand. In doing so, each object is unique, sometimes with undetectable variation from other iterations. This method is aligned with Lee’s interest in paradox, and the title Zebra (huh/what) anticipates the questions of the viewer when first encountering these faux pelts. Lee reveals traces of the zebras’ artificiality by leaving edges of the linen untouched by paint, a detail only noticed upon close inspection. They strike a balance between bold and unassuming, veracity and falsehood. Margaret Lee’s brilliance shines in her subtly, which she can pull off simultaneously in the most direct and indirect of ways.

— Hayley Richardson