Sayart.net - Renowned Korean Artist Lee Bae Explores Life and Death Through Charcoal in Solo Exhibition

BUSAN, June 5 (SayArt) - Johyun Gallery, a prestigious art gallery in Busan, presents a solo exhibition by the renowned Korean artist Lee Bae. The exhibition, currently on view at the gallery's Haeundae space, showcases his unique exploration of life and death, absence and presence, light and shadow, form, and emptiness, using the medium of charcoal.

Lee Bae, famous for his captivating use of charcoal, brings his artistic vision to life in this remarkable exhibition. The artist's brushstrokes, transformed into solid bronze sculptures, captivate viewers and fill the gallery space with a powerful presence. Notably, this exhibition also marks the first time Lee Bae incorporates the color red into his palette, moving beyond his traditional expression of black and white.

The process behind Lee Bae's charcoal artwork involves a meticulous two-week kiln firing at temperatures ranging from 1000 to 1100 degrees Celsius, followed by a cooling period of two weeks. This elaborate process gives rise to abstract and universal shapes that bear the mark of fire and the passage of time. To enhance the universality and permanence of charcoal, Lee Bae applies a translucent acrylic medium to the surface, creating a blurred and ambiguous form. This deliberate blurring evokes abstract and expressive transformations, capturing the essence of conversation and the impossibility of reproducing reality.

Expanding beyond the confines of the gallery space, Lee Bae's exhibition features an outdoor sculpture placed in front of the Paradise Hotel, creating a captivating dialogue between art and the backdrop of Haeundae. Through his work, the artist seeks to portray the persistence of time and the light within darkness, conveying profound philosophical concepts.

Motifs that emerge during Lee Bae's daily artistic process often take unexpected shapes or resemble drawings from years past. These fragments of memory are held unconsciously within the artist's body and are the result of a consistent and disciplined approach. Lee Bae believes that contemporary art arises not from inspiration alone, but from the attitude and process. Thus, his work goes beyond the canvas, as he refines both internal and external memories, transforming life itself into a screen.

Rooted in traditional Korean ink painting, Lee Bae's artistic energy is closely tied to the concept of capturing one's entire body energy in a gentle brushstroke. After spending over 30 years in Paris, the artist discovered charcoal, which became a medium for expressing his identity and evoking his childhood memories of Korean sentiment. The richness found in the black light of charcoal transcends cultural boundaries, reaching beyond modernity and contemporaneity. It revitalizes traditional ink painting, transcending space and time, and opening up the eternal world of the immaterial realm.
 

His solo exhibition, which began on May 4 at Johyun Gallery, is expected to capture the hearts of art lovers until July 30. The gallery, located at 5 Haeundaehaebyeon-ro 298 Beon-Gil, Haeundae-Gu, Busan, Korea 48099, can be contacted at +82 (0)51 746 8660. 

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Jason Yim, yimjongho1969@gmail.com