IGNITION is an annual exhibition that features new work by students currently enrolled in the Studio Arts, Humanities, or Individualized graduate programs at Concordia University. It provides an up-and-coming generation of artists with a unique opportunity to present ambitious, interdisciplinary works in the professional context of a gallery with a national and international profile. Students and the Gallery team work together to produce an exhibition that places an emphasis on critical, innovative, and experimental work, engaging in the exploration and consideration of diverse media and practices.
May 8 – August 2025
Special IGNITION 21 satellite project on view in the FOFA Gallery’s outdoor courtyard at 1515 Ste-Catherine St. W.
This year, the Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery is pleased to present, in collaboration with the FOFA Gallery, 빨리 빨리 (hurry, hurry) by Sam Lee, a special IGNITION 21 satellite project on view in the FOFA Gallery’s outdoor courtyard at 1515 Ste-Catherine St. W., until August 2025
Sam Lee
빨리 빨리 (hurry, hurry), 2025 —
Digital print on vinyl
391.2 cm × 492.8 cm
Sam Lee (he/him) is a Korean-Canadian visual artist and documentary photographer living and working in Tiohtia:ke/Mooniyang/Montréal. As a child of Korean immigrants, his practice is framed by his dual identity as a Korean and Canadian. His work employs visual investigations through photography to call attention to the social effects of globalization, immigration and colonization. His work mainly considers the Asian diaspora lens through which his experience is framed, but also keeping in mind his existence on unceded Indigenous land.
빨리 빨리 (hurry, hurry) is a photographic investigation on South Korea’s dramatic collective attitude of worker productivity and over-commodification. After decades of war and colonization, South Korea underwent massive economic growth. Industrializing and globalizing feverishly, the country has now become a global leader in several industries.
In the name of maximizing profit margins, this hustle-culture mentality has lifted many above the poverty line, but like many examples of the unchecked pursuit of capitalist gains, has resulted in side effects.
What has emerged is a fragile balance between seemingly incompatible forces: productivity and rest, turmoil and peace, concrete and nature.
This year, the Leonard & Bina Ellen Art Gallery is pleased to present, in collaboration with the FOFA Gallery, 빨리 빨리 (hurry, hurry) by Sam Lee, a special IGNITION 21 satellite project on view in the FOFA Gallery’s outdoor courtyard at 1515 Ste-Catherine St. W., until August 2025
Sam Lee
빨리 빨리 (hurry, hurry), 2025 —
Digital print on vinyl
391.2 cm × 492.8 cm
Sam Lee (he/him) is a Korean-Canadian visual artist and documentary photographer living and working in Tiohtia:ke/Mooniyang/Montréal. As a child of Korean immigrants, his practice is framed by his dual identity as a Korean and Canadian. His work employs visual investigations through photography to call attention to the social effects of globalization, immigration and colonization. His work mainly considers the Asian diaspora lens through which his experience is framed, but also keeping in mind his existence on unceded Indigenous land.
빨리 빨리 (hurry, hurry) is a photographic investigation on South Korea’s dramatic collective attitude of worker productivity and over-commodification. After decades of war and colonization, South Korea underwent massive economic growth. Industrializing and globalizing feverishly, the country has now become a global leader in several industries.
In the name of maximizing profit margins, this hustle-culture mentality has lifted many above the poverty line, but like many examples of the unchecked pursuit of capitalist gains, has resulted in side effects.
What has emerged is a fragile balance between seemingly incompatible forces: productivity and rest, turmoil and peace, concrete and nature.