‘My goal is to go further in emotional expression, to create an ideal abstract image.’
Artist: 이원석 / Lee Won Seok
Artistic style: Adaptation on oriental art traditions to build abstract paintings
Biggest artistic influence: Barbara Takenaga
Lee was born in 1998, so it has only been 3 years since he debuted as an artist, but his dream of being an artist has always been with him. ‘I was’, he says, ‘good at drawing something in a realistic way since I was young’, which he enjoyed and found interesting but by the time he reached middle school, found he had grown bored of imitating the styles of other artists. At that time, Lee saw a documentary about YBA (Young British Artists) and their contemporary art, whereupon he realised that the artist does not only imitate the objects they see but also creates special works with creative expression. ‘As soon as I realised that’, he continues, ‘I started to be enthusiastic about being an artist.’ This moment of epiphany lead Lee to learn not only Western-centered aesthetics but also Eastern philosophies and artistic expression, how both developed in the contemporary era from Sang Yong Yang, the artist and the teacher. Talking about this experience, Lee says that this ‘meant a lot to me’ and allowed him to ‘develop myself into the artist I am today’.
Lee’s first solo exhibition was in 2020. His second took place in 2022, and his work is often part of exhibitions in both Korea and New York, USA.
What is your dream project?
I would like to create a project that simultaneous exhibitions in several countries with various artists, with the same theme. Also, I would like to be capable of designing, producing and managing at the same time, like a studio.
When you start new pieces, what does your creative process look like?
I sketch a big picture and create various works in different ways. After that, I pick up the pieces that were created as I intended to.
How do you overcome creative blocks?
I just keep going on with my work rather than trying to overcome it. Sometimes I felt I already overcome it during the process, or sometimes I don’t. But I admit that is also a part of the outcome that I expressed in that particular period. There could be ups and downs for the artists too.
Do you have a favourite piece of art that you’ve created?
‘A Portrait of Fantasy’ was the first turning point of my work. Even though I am trying a big change in my work style for this fair, it was my first time when I started to put more expression of my own and a philosophical concept, rather than relying on instinct.
What is the most challenging thing about being an artist?
I feel lonely sometimes. Most of my friends have quite fixed schedules, a sense of belonging in groups, and relatively stable profits than myself. So, it made me have less in common with my friends and feel like think like the job title that I have, an artist might be only shining outside but not really inside.
What has been the best reaction someone has had to something you have created?
It’s a bit difficult to pick one as a work, but if it could be an exhibition, the one that I produced and managed, called ‘Project B Side: Metropolitan’. I was genuinely happy when a lot of the audience including the mayor and city workers came to be and appreciate me for creating the space.
What has been the most suprising thing about being an artist?
It would be the fact that the artist is quite similar to a self-employed person. The artists wobble because of money and self-promotion, and sometimes being selfish because of that. I am realising that the thoughts that I had, that I could be a maverick in the society, was an illusion these days.
What do you hope people take away from your artwork?
I don’t have specific ways that the audience would like to feel since what I think important is their instinct. I just produced works with the expression and showed them to the audience, and what they feel would be different.
Faye comment
Lee’s creates his works (masterpieces) on Hanji paper, which is a traditional Korean paper – made from the ‘paper mulberry’ tree, and, using pigment plays with oriental artistic traditions. His artwork is really interesting to look at- I particularly liked his series Universe 1-10, which is really special. Time’s like a Flash stood out for me too.
