There is no beginning without an ending, and no creation without a trace of destruction. For artist Vicki Lee, this cycle is not only a philosophy but a lived practice – one that now takes physical form in her newly opened-to-the-public gallery in Sydney’s Potts Point.

The space is less a white-walled exhibition hall and more a sensorial landscape, where sound vibrates through the floorboards, light bends perception, and scent lingers in your mind long after you leave.

Known for her abstract expressionist works and her fearless embrace of intuition, Lee finally invites the public into what has long been her private domain of experiment and upheaval. The Vicki Lee Gallery is not designed to be passively consumed but to be entered, inhabited, and felt. Visitors are asked to confess, to discard, to lie down and listen; to confront cycles of release and renewal.

From the mirrored glow of the “Confessional” to the pulsating resonance of the “Sonic Room,” Lee’s installations blur the boundary between environment and self, creating a terrain where healing and transformation are not just possible, but inevitable. Here, she speaks to RUSSH about her inspirations, ideations and hopes for those who visit.

What inspired you to open this new space? Was there a seed from which this project grew?

I suppose there's always a seed. A beginning. To be honest, I can't ever tell if I am moving from the seed, the genesis, or the end of the cycle of birth and destruction. All I am certain of is that the same cycle is looping, and each turn around this new creation and destruction, there are changes and shifts. And that is what keeps me going. I love change. I'd say I'm addicted to new and shiny incarnations of destroyed memories.

The Gallery space is not new; I have been here for years, painting and making the biggest mess I could possibly make, it was just all in private until now. I've always believed the key to abstract expressionist art, and actually to life generally, is to know when to charge at full speed and more importantly, to know when to stop. My ramage of destruction over the years had come to an end. And now, it is time to get back to where I started. The intention has always been to share sensory experiences and connect beyond the senses. The only way to do that is to invite people in.

This new space is described as immersive and multi-sensory. What do you hope visitors feel or take away after experiencing it?

I've started understanding life to be a bit of a game. We're put on this Earth and told to study hard so you can get a good job, earn good money, buy a house, have a family and a whole list of other prerequisites to be "happy". I wanted to create a space where we slowly strip away the sensory assaults of life. You step outside your door in any given city, and you're hit with a sensory overload. This new space uses colour, sound and scent to bring guests back to the present moment. The only way to do this is to strip away everything else slowly to be brought back to your own self. My husband, Ted O'Donnell and I designed a "Listening Room" with Genelec subwoofers and speakers. I've made sure these cymatic frequencies are pulsing through the ground, and guests are lying down to enjoy the transformations through soundhealing.

The “Confessional” installation invites people to reveal and release their ‘sins’. What inspired this concept?

Contemplating how much fun I have had in my life, in so many different ways. On a deeply personal level, I suppose lifting the shame off human experience is one intention.

However, to go to the lengths of actually building a structure that has mirrored floors and a mirrored exit, a light installation that is set to change from a deep peach colour to crimson red ever so slowly was executed, so my guests could feel a sense of destroying the past to move forward.

Placed in the mezzanine of the Gallery, where my new floral series works are hung. I have a paper shredder with the old floral series printed to write down anything you want to discard. The shredded fragments will be transformed into a large-scale sculpture. The form of which has not been decided. I can feel its fruition, I can hear it, but it hasn't arrived yet. Collective healing and moving on. How satisfying will that be?

The Sonic Room makes sound the central experience. How do you see sound as a tool for healing and transformation?

The whole idea behind the Sonic Room is that sound does not merely enter our ears; it permeates through our entire bodies. These audible sound waves move through the skin and can transform your mental state. There are subwoofers on show, and hidden ones as well, to really get the vibrations and pulsations through the body.

I have mats to lie down on so you can really maximise the love frequencies. The Opening Show has Stu Turner, a Sydney-based musician and DJ, sitting cross-legged in front of the curved wall and creating new textures and forms on the spot. He will be feeding off the energy of the room to create a dialogue with sound, and hopefully, well, my intention is for everyone to leave feeling that little bit better. Hey, let's get high on the natural supplies.

You’ve said you want the gallery to encourage reflection on life’s beauty and brevity. How do you see art playing a role in helping people connect more deeply with themselves and others?

When I was younger, say 20 years ago, I took this 'YOLO' mentality very far in a wild direction. Looking back, I grin at how fun it was feeling like I was running away from a burning fire, running as fast as I could, knowing that exact moment would never come again. Feeling so free, understanding how short life actually is. I took risks, I did what my gut told me to do from moment to moment.

As the years clocked over, after two children and many naughty stories for my grandchildren later on, I think I've realised that the brevity of life does not need to be acknowledged by maximising the volume, but actually, to feel each moment completely, it is best to pause, turn the volume down and let the smells, sounds and colours permeate. I wanted to create a space that was not so much a social hub but more a space where you come in and connect with your own self. The voice inside that often gets pushed aside has a little spot here.

Vicki Lee Gallery is located at 16-18 Bayswater Road, Potts Point and will be open Thursday–Saturday 10am–4pm from Saturday 20 September.