The inner side of the universe ¤Ó Lee Sangmin's Glass Sculpture
I. Lee Sangmin has titled his 20th solo show The Inner Side of The universe. This choice of words seems to reflect the achievements he has made over the last 20 years that began after his return to Korea following his study of object art in France. His experiments have involved blurring the boundaries between two dimensional and three dimensional objects using glass as a medium. Interestingly, this exhibit title not only intimates the art world he has recently pursued but also can be presented as a keyword to comprehend the modeling quality of his work. In light of this title, his glass sculptures on show at the exhibition can be largely categorized by the following two standards. One is his attitude to make a foray into intuitively exploring the inner side of the universe and the other is his methodology to put such intuition into practice through his works. The former is apropos of his artistic will whereas the latter is concerned with the modeling quality of his work that unveils such artistic determination.
II. Lee defines the 'inner side of the universe' as the object of his artistic exploration. This seems to be a new subject that he has acquired now that he has more opportunities to observe nature and ecology at his studio built at the foot of a mountain in Anseong. On the other hand, it might also be a reflection of his ontological mission as an artist at the age of fifty. Taking a look into the inner side of the universe may not be easy when considered from the viewpoint of conventional art whose fundamental function is to represent concrete things. One's interest in the inner side of all things is, after all, a reflection of our concern with universal objects as opposed to specific things. His assertion to reveal the nature of all objects can be easily understood given that he has long chosen water as the subject of his contemplation. Water has no fixed form as air or fog does. It comes to develop its own image and transforms its form depending on the situation. As Thales believed that everything derives from water, introspections of water have long been carried out. Lee intends to take a look into the inner side of the universe through the expression of water, the root of all things in the universe.
We have to note one point in particular if we are to accept Lee's theory of the universe. As is widely known, all things stand for specific objects as well as universal things that are more than specific objects. All things in nature are mirror images of all objects in the world and contain underlying aspects of being. Therefore, Lee's attitude to look within them is none other than one that seeks to explore the nature of all beings. Such a perspective is associated with essentialism that was sought after not only by painters such as Cezanne and Mondrian but also by modernist sculptors like Rodin and Brancusi. Lee's glass sculptures are not unfamiliar in the context of art history in that they are introspections of the laws of nature and the nature of materials, breaking away from any portrayal of the outer appearances of things. His artistic will seems to derive from his attitude to see and perceive things as organic beings that have been constantly extinguished and recreated while relying on their freestanding appearances.
III. Lee's reflection on the inner side of the universe is incarnated with the medium of glass. That is to say, he has set out on his own exploration of the inner side of the universe through an encounter with the properties of water as the source of everything employing the unique medium of glass. Intriguingly, his work makes forays into integrating mild organic water with hard yet fragile glass. Both water and glass conceal their existence by allowing light to pass through them. Thus, their shapes depend on the condition of their surroundings. For instance, water changes phase from liquid to solid ice in temperatures below zero or generates waves by external stimulus. Glass also reveals its special properties through windows, bottles, or lenses. Lee intends to accomplish his artistic mission to take a look into and represent the inner side of the universe by using either the difference or similarity between water and glass.
Lee's exploration of the inner side of universe is executed through the process of cutting a groove on the back of a 12mm glass plate and grinding its surface. Cutting the surface of a glass panel with diamond sheets is work requiring concentration and expertise. It is necessary to prevent fracture by heat that arises in the process of grinding by cooling the surface with water. Lee has to rely on the tactile sense of his hand and his knowhow to predict results as the angles of the plane cut by diamond paper are not clearly revealed. A non-physical element he has to pay attention to in all of his works is light. His glass sculptures look like images with their own forms by virtue of the effects of light. The formal logic his glass sculpture depends on can be completed in the new dimension of modeling with light.
IV. Lee's glass sculpture unveils the nature of being reflected onto the absence of form. The delicate light working on the glass surface contributes to disclose the presence of such absence. A mysterious illusion is brought up on the retinas of our eyes, depending on the amount of light projected or reflected on the cut surface of glass. The light leaves shadows on the wall behind the glass panel when it is diffusely reflected onto the uneven surface of glass. This process engenders a twofold illusion, a false image and its shadow. A subtle space is in between these two illusions. As the material property of the wall clearly revealed over the frame bearing the glass sculpture lends the presence of realistic space to two illusions, appreciators reach the summit of their visual experience.
His hope is to overlap the image of his glass sculpture with that of water. He intends to show that the action of light is a physical factor that enables us to perceive the presence of things. If we admit that we perceive all things in the world through our sensory organs, we can say that his endeavor has a scientific basis. However, taking a look into the inner side of all things in the universe means more than seeing a subtle illusion engendered by light or any spatial structure. Real perception is in the arena of contemplation and intuition and predicated upon the nature of being. As an art critic has claimed, I think it is right and proper to see his work as 'a hypnotic landscape holding form before form or form beyond form.
Born in 1966, Seoul, Korea
Graduated from the department of Arts Plastiques, Strasbourg Marc Bloch National University, France (MFA)
Graduated from the department of Objet, Ecole Supérieure des Arts Déoratifs de Strasbourg, France (BFA. MFA)
Present, Professor of CHUNG-ANG University (Dept. of Sculpture)
2020 As it is, LEE & BAE, Busan, Korea
2018 White Shadows, Gallery 4Walls, Seoul, Korea
2017 One and Three Bowls, Gallery, SKLO, Seoul, Korea
2016 The inner side of all things in nature, Gallery3, Seoul, Korea
2015 Art Stage, Singapore
2014 Gallery Idm, Busan, Korea
2014 Poetics of time, Gallery3, Seoul, Korea
2013 LEE SANGMIN WAVE Sculpture, JEAN Gallery, Korea
2011 Gallery Idm, Busan, Korea
2011 The Landscape of Synchronicity, DaXiang Art Space, Taipei, Taiwan
2008 The Landscape of Synchronism, Vit gallery, Seoul, Korea
2007 CROSS OVER, MOA Gallery, Seoul, Korea
2006 An Image Dispersed into Time and Space, MANAS Art Center, Korea
2005 MOA Gallery Heyri Festival, Paju, Korea
2000 Espace Tête d¢¥Or, Lyon, France
Collection
Ilshin Spinning Co. Ltd | Mandarin Oriental London, London, UK | Chungang University R & D Center, Seoul, Korea | Chungang University Head Building, Seoul, Korea | Hannam De Hil Lobby, Seoul, Korea | Crown Haitai Confectionery, Seoul Korea | National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, Korea | Arte Company, Seoul, Korea | Korea Embassy, Rome, Italy | Young Won Trade, Seoul, Korea | Company of Art Prise. com, Lyon, France | Creation of a cross for the Pfaffenhoffen Protestant Church, France | Fresco Painting, Tréfileries de Xertingy Workshop, France
Award
1999 First Prize, Contemporain Art Japan, Bourguil, France
1994 First Prize at The International Snow Sculpture Competition in Quebec, Canada
1994 Eurocreation Prize at the Pepiniere des Artistes, France
Born in 1966, Seoul, Korea
1989 Graduated in Chungnam National University (B.A. Dept. of Korean Painting)
1994 Graduated in National Taiwan Normal University(M.A. Dept. of Oriental Painting)
2017 "Again Tomorrow", Gallery Well, Seoul, Korea
2017 ¡°Hope Has a Place¡±, Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Taipei, Taiwan
2017 ¡°Everlasting Sanctuary¡±, Red Gold Fine Arts, Taipei, Taiwan
2012 BIFF Official Poster Artist Solo Exhibition Project, Yiin Arts Hall, Busan, Korea
2011 ¡°Again in His Light¡±, Galerie Bhak, Seoul, Korea
2011 ¡°Again in His Light¡±, Soul Art Space Gallery, Busan, Korea
2011 ¡°Opening of His Light¡±, MIMESIS Gallery, Geneva, Swiss
2009 ¡°Opening of His Light¡±, LES OREADES Gallery, Moscow, Russia
2009 ¡°Opening of His Light¡±, MIMESIS Gallery, Geneva, Swiss
2008 ¡°Nevertheless¡±, Gallery Topo Hause, Seoul, Korea
2007 ¡°Black & White¡±, Mimesis Gallery, Geneva, Swiss
2007 ¡°Permeation through Osmosis¡±, Soul Art Space Gallery, Busan, Korea
2006 ¡°Opening of His Light¡±, France Cultural Institute, Busan, Korea
2006 ¡°Opening of His Light¡±, Seoul Bit Gallery, Seoul, Korea
2003 ¡°Providence-Sanctuary of Silence¡±, Cast Iron Gallery, New York, USA
2001 Kyumje Young Artist Prize Commemoration Exhibition, Gallery Chang, Seoul, Korea
2010 ¡°Fantasia Korea Painting the Sense of Reinterpretation¡±, Nam Seoul Annex Building of the Seoul Museum of Art. Seoul, Korea
2010 Now! Asian Artists, Busan Biennale, Busan, Korea
2009 ¡°The Logic of Sensation¡±, Busan Museum of Art, Busan, Korea
2009 ¡°Spring Meet¡±, Soul Art Space, Busan, Korea
2008 10th Celebrating Exhibition of RAMSAR Conference, Gyeongnam Art Museum, Changwon, Korea
2008 Celebrating the Olympic Games International Fine Arts Grand Exhibition, Taiwan
2008 HORIZONS, Alliance Francaise, Busan, Korea
2008 ¡°Life! The Freshness¡±, Gallery AG, Seoul, Korea
2007 ¡°The Fragrance of Ink Blossoms on Snowy Peaks¡±, Woljeon Museum of Art, Gyeonggi, Korea
2007 ¡°Tracing the Identity of Korean Painting¡±, Gwangju Museum of Art, Gwangju, Korea
2006 Northeast Asia Exhibition [Korea/Japan/China], Busan Cultural Center, Busan, Korea
2005 Korean Contemporary Painting - Today and Tomorrow, YALE Gallery, Seoul
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