WorkArt & Culture

Charming new paintings of South Korea's little convenience stores by Me Kyeoung Lee

If you were charmed by Me Kyeoung Lee's paintings of South Korea's convenience stores earlier this year, then you'll be happy to know that she has released a new series of artworks.

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Watercolour painting of a small South Korean convenience store with a large green tree overhead, a bicycle parked outside, and potted plants by the entrance

Soon to go on display at the Imazoo Gallery, and with plans to be released in a new book in 2018, the fresh collection transforms the mundane shop fronts of her home country into appealing little businesses, just inviting you to visit and explore.

Painting convenience stores are nothing new to Me Kyeoung Lee; she has spent the past 20 years documenting these cute corner shops. Partly because she finds them so beautiful, but also because she wants to capture them before they disappear forever.

"There were not many things to see and play like these days," she explains. "But there was a time when I was happy to have a coin in my hands and run to a shop and hang out with friends gathered in front of it." Discover more of her work at www.leemk.com.

Watercolour painting of a single-storey Korean convenience store with green-tiled roof, wooden doors and windows, with a blossoming cherry tree growing in front and various items displayed outside
Me Kyeoung Lee's painting of a South Korean convenience store with a tree, bicycles, chairs and street items arranged in front of a blue-fronted shop
Watercolour painting of a traditional Korean convenience store with a curved tiled roof, yellow flowering tree, wooden bench outside and various items displayed on the storefront
A small South Korean convenience store with a turquoise awning and Korean signage, flanked by blooming cherry blossom trees, painted in watercolour style
Watercolour painting of a South Korean convenience store with turquoise-tiled roof sheltered beneath a large blossoming tree, with bicycles and potted plants outside
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