APS Editions: Rhys Lee

Biography

b. 1975
Brisbane, Australia

Rhys Lee holds a Bachelor of Visual Arts from Queensland College of Art, Brisbane, Australia. He was a finalist in the 2012 Archibald Prize, and his works have found their home in many public and private collections, including the National Gallery of Australia, Artbank and the National Library of France.

Painting has always been an intuitive process for Rhys Lee. Through a vibrant palette and playful mark-making, he draws from personal memories to create moments of cathartic release. By fusing traditional art tendencies with the graffiti influences of his youth, Lee powerfully develops a unique, experimental, and raw practice across his fractured portraits and still-life compositions.

The artist blurs the boundaries between representation and abstraction, shifting his focus to colour and form. As his subjects dissolve, the rich textures and complex layers of paint take centre stage.

Lee has exhibited widely on a national and international scale, with solo exhibitions across New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Athens, Australia, Germany, Thailand, Belgium, and New Zealand.

Selected Solo Exhibitions:

2025

When Frogs Eat Flies, Chins Gallery, Bangkok, Thailand

Recent Paintings, Nicholas Thompson Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

2024

The Importance of Pears & Other Things, Edwina Corlette Gallery, Brisbane, Australia

Boxers, Nicholas Thompson Gallery, Melbourne, Australia

Selected Group Exhibitions:

2022

Familiar Faces, Mini Galerie, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Natural Selection, Room57 Gallery, New York, USA