The South London Gallery (SLG) is set to launch the first United Kingdom solo exhibition by South Korean-born artist Kang Seung Lee, titled “Weeds of Cultivation,” running from December 11, 2026, through March 28, 2027, with a press preview scheduled for December 10 at 9:30am.
Curated by the 2026 New Curators fellows, according to a statement, the winter exhibition occupies both the Main Gallery and the Fire Station galleries.
Lee’s research-driven practice engages with the legacies of transnational queer figures and their intersections with global art histories and the AIDS pandemic, using archival reinvention to explore identity, memory, migration and creative labour.
For the presentation, Lee has developed a site-responsive installation alongside new drawings and embroideries in the Main Gallery. The Fire Station spaces feature related new and recent works, videos and archival materials. The exhibition draws inspiration from London’s queer networks, centring on British artists such as Hamad Butt and Derek Jarman. It incorporates foraged items from Prospect Cottage and London Lighthouse gardens, alongside local cruising sites including Hampstead Heath and Burgess Park.
Lee extends his ongoing tributes to global queer artists and activists impacted by the AIDS crisis, referencing figures such as Kaisik Wong, Martin Wong, and José Leonilson. He has also produced new drawings responding to Gideon Mendel’s 1993 photographic series, The Ward, which documented patients in dedicated AIDS units at London’s Middlesex Hospital. Additional works reference locations including the former Fitzrovia Chapel.
A catalogue accompanying the exhibition will be published by New Curators, featuring contributions from each of the 2026 fellows, consisting of Bijal Manoj Daialal, chris d. reeder, Dulce Ariadna Ardila, Juan Felipe Paredes, Mark Mingu Cho, Nana Ama Yeboawaa Ampofo, Ruchika Dhillon, Runnie Exuma, Sadie Barnett, Seth Kriger, and Vy Tsan.
The exhibition receives principal support from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea, Korea Arts Management Service, Korea Focus Support Program, Samsung Foundation of Culture, and The Ampersand Foundation, with additional contributions from individual patrons and philanthropic foundations.
•Featured image: Kang Seung Lee/Image by the artist and Gallery Hyundai