Tickets
English
DonateMembershipTickets

Untitled (cyborg leg)

Lee Bul South Korean
2000
Not on view
A leading contemporary artist, Lee Bul has explored issues of gender, inequality, oppression, and technology since the 1980s through her varied artistic practice. This porcelain from her 2000 Cyborg series is characterized by human-size but fractured forms with curvaceous shapes, long nails, and breast-like elements that suggest a feminine gender. Like most of her work, the project juxtaposes concepts in tension—human and machine, paragon and monster, beautiful and grotesque, utopia and dystopia. By using porcelain, Lee connects the past and present, old and new technologies. As these parts are similar in size to Joseon porcelain vessels like those on view here, Lee also illustrates how objectification, particularly of Asian women, extends to the decorative arts, which have long fostered exoticization and fetishization through Western styles such as Chinoiserie and Japonisme.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Untitled (cyborg leg)
  • Artist: Lee Bul (South Korean, born 1964)
  • Date: 2000
  • Culture: Korea
  • Medium: Porcelain
  • Dimensions: H. 21 in. (53.3 cm); W. 9 in. (22.9 cm); D. 14 in. (25.6 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Gift of Thaddaeus Ropac, 2023
  • Object Number: 2023.285.1
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Lee Bul
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Long Tail Halo: CTCS #2, Lee Bul South Korean, Stainless steel, ethylene-vinyl acetate, carbon fiber, paint, polyurethane
Long Tail Halo: CTCS #2
Lee Bul
2024
So, Wood, bamboo, shell, Korean
So
Korean
ca. 1980
The Greek Slave, Minton and Company American, Parian porcelain, American
The Greek Slave
Manufacturer Manufactured by Minton and Company
After Hiram Powers
1849
Untitled (cyborg pelvis), Lee Bul South Korean, Porcelain, Korea
Untitled (cyborg pelvis)
Lee Bul
2000
Napal, Jong-Jin Hong Korean, Brass, red satin, Korean
Napal
Jong-Jin Hong
ca. 1975

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.

Send feedback

Content Notice

The Metropolitan Museum of Art presents over 5,000 years of art from around the world, and our online collection reflects ongoing work conducted over the course of our more than 150-year history. You may encounter objects or images that may be inappropriate for some viewers or information that may be outdated.