Announcing Representation of Lee Jin Woo

 

 

 

Leeahn gallery is pleased to announce representation of Paris-based Korean artist Lee Jin Woo. Lee has been acclaimed for his thought-provoking, profound works employing traditional Korean materials such as hanji. Lee's inaugural solo presentation with Leeahn Gallery, Le Temps. Vide. L’Espace, is currently on view at the gallery's Seoul location through Jan. 10, 2022.

 

Born in 1959, Lee emigrated to France in 1983 and earned a M.F.A degree from Beaux-Arts de Paris.  Living and working in paris, Lee managed to establish himself as an artist of successful career through some remarkable achievements over the past several decades. Maintaining his linkage with Korean identity, he creates  idiosyncratic body of artworks through perseverance and labor-intensive process.

 

Lee creates artworks of such depth by randomly placing charcoal on acrylic-covered linen, covers the surface with hanji, which he then scrapes off with a metal brush. Hanji and charcoal mix and lump up together, adding both weight and depth to the work. He infinitely repeats the process of layering hanji and charcoal to achieve the desirable image, which is the product of his endurance. His works that express his inner ego through the Dansaekhwa of rich, various texture also reflect his aspiration to empty himself and in return, fill the mind with something most valuable.

 

For Lee, who has spent numerous years overseas, hanji and charcoal are more than mere traditional Korean materials; they are proud mediums that enabled both Korean culture and the artist himself to be placed within a global context. Lee continued his labor-like practice in harsh conditions, and therefore became to be known as the master of hanji.

 

Lee's works are kept in the permanent collections of Musee Cernuschi, Daegu Museum, and Deutsche Bank Bruxelles.

 

For more information, please contact info@leeahngallery.com.