Rhys Lee
Snake 2007

From wrong-side-of-the-law graffiti kid to respected emerging talent, Melbourne based painter Rhys Lee's latest works are esumptuous, colourful canvases featuring carnivalesque figures against backgrounds of acidic yellow, sky blue and washed out purple. Lee paints in a style described by art critic Edward Colless - a long time supporter of the artist's work - as 'hallucinogenic grotesque'. 'Lee paints with a freestyle energy that is still as spontaneous and brash as his graffiti roots, while his imagery has evolved into a captivating and emotionally nuanced bestiary of contemporary life,' says Colless. 'His washes and splatters of gelato colours can be exhilarating, but equally can be as subtle and poised as a ballet step.'

- Andre Frost
Australian Art Collector, 50 Most Collectable Artists - Issue 35 January-March 2006