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Philip LeeLee's prima materia is his own body.

Ritualistic transformations are used to convey ideas about masculinity, loss and the body's deterioration. Lee sees the body as a link between our internal and external worlds.

He has made installations and live performances throughout the UK since 1999. In all his performances Lee marks the surfaces he encounters. These traces become part of the installations, developing during the performances. He uses clay, and other materials, to cover his body so that his body becomes the sculpture and the 'brush'. His body has marked surfaces from paper and canvas to glass and walls; while showing the male body transformed, and arguably, anonymous.

Lee's intention is to let the viewer project onto the work their concerns. He hopes the live performance engages people and moves them to think about their own corporeal existence.

Acknowledgments