Lehmann Maupin is pleased to present Western Mechanics, Alex Prager’s first exhibition with Lehmann Maupin in Seoul and her 8th solo exhibition with the gallery. The exhibition debuts a new body of photographic works that eschew linear narrative and instead focus on the presentation of emotionally charged vignettes. Her photographs, rich in cultural references and historical allegory, offer multiple entry points into evocative and imaginative worlds. Probing liminal space, Prager’s saturated frames examine the human condition and contemporary experience. Imbued with similar themes, Prager created Western Mechanics in tandem with the production of her first feature film, DreamQuil, which will explore the rise of technology and the decline of natural order. Concurrent to Western Mechanics, Prager’s commissioned installation Play the Wind (2019) is on view nearby on the exterior of Hyundai Card’s Music Library in Seoul. Unveiled in 2020, the installation will remain on view through 2025. Additionally, Prager was recently commissioned by LAX to create a short-form film for the airport’s internal electric train system, which will debut in 2025.

Working simultaneously across film, photography, and sculpture, Prager constructs highly emotional moments that feel like a fabricated memory or dream. Her distinctive use of archetypes, everyday objects, humor, and allegory—along with her signature technicolor facades—allow her to explore dark and complex topics. Existential concerns are central to her practice, including collective and individual identities and the impact of technology on society. Like the psychological works of artists including Edward Hopper, August Sanders, and Bill Viola, Prager’s work invites the viewer to contemplate the human experience by revealing that the extraordinary lurks within the ordinary.