kwang-ho lee: touch
kukje gallery, seoul
on now until may 16th, 2010
first image
cactus no.47, 2010
oil on canvas
250x300cm
©lee kwang-ho, courtesy kukje gallery
korean artist kwang-ho lee's most recent work is on view at kukje gallery, seoul.
in creating the new cactus and landscape series, lee has experimented with various techniques
such as scratching, rubbing of the paintbrush, and tapping on the canvas whilst enlarging the subject
to its extreme to make the cactus seem like a type of abstraction. as a result, the small cacti can appear
animal-like, rouse a unique phallic aura, and be reminiscent of a monument or even a model from his
previous work 'inter-view' series.
in contrast, the landscape series deals with empty spaces found in nature. lee presents us with familiar
open spaces consisting of woods and forests, sky and movement of the wind. the landscapes are not
particularly beautiful or nostalgic but upon closer observation, the depicted subjects actually disappear,
revealing only a layer of paint comprised of countless, precise brushstrokes, and markings of a meticulous
knife work. in the end, the abstract surface of the landscape series is actually quite similar to that of the
cactus paintings. the artist has attempted to create not only a realistic transfer of the subject onto the
canvas but to investigate the fundamental question of painting – the act of painting itself.
exhibition view
image © designboom
cactus no.33, 2009
oil on canvas
259.1x193.9cm
image © designboom
cactus no.31, 2009
oil on canvas
259.1x170cm
image © designboom
exhibition view
image © designboom
cactus no.30, 2008
oil on canvas
259.1x181.8cm
©lee kwang-ho, courtesy kukje gallery
cactus no.37, 2009
oil on canvas
227.3x181.8cm
image © designboom
cactus no.36, 2009
oil on canvas
200x200cm
image © designboom
detail © designboom
image © designboom
cactus no.45, 2010
oil on canvas
130.3x97cm
image © designboom
cactus no.44, 2010
oil on canvas
130.3x97cm
image © designboom
image © designboom
cactus no.40, 2009
oil on canvas
193.9x130.3cm
©lee kwang-ho, courtesy kukje gallery
image © designboom
kangwado, 2010
oil on canvas
130.3x162.1cm
©lee kwang-ho, courtesy kukje gallery
awesome!!
Lovely work
a little bit phallic? =)
I’m in love. Wonder how much these are selling for.
cactus love,
simply beatifull:)
intense
Absolutely magnificent. I am stunned.
Really shooking, a very pleassement shock of color and textture in the eyes and soul, magnificent
Fantastic!! The oil paintings are splendidly lifelike.