Biography
Biography
Born in Korea in 1963 and having attained his Masters in Fine Arts from Keimyung University, Korea, in 2007, the adept Lee Jung Woong never fails to astound. Using Korean rice paper and Western oil paint to bring poetic and almost literal life into his subjects. His Chinese brushes and ebony ink, ink splotches, swipes and bleeds showcase dynamism and motion that far surpasses a simple two-dimensional image, accompanied by gleaming wood and brush hairs that are visible in the coarseness of every individual strand. The amount of detailing renders his works flawless, sometimes causing viewers to lean in, trying to find the brushstrokes that created the glossy smoothness of the handles, the soaked transience of the paper and the compliance of every brush hair.
Extending from chaotic splashes of ink to cleansing bold strokes on a background of clarity, the artist instills the depicted inanimate object with emotion and spirituality, using space and altering the placement of background and foreground to expatiate the yin and yang he portrays. From vast expanses to crowded canvases, the dynamism of his brush in its hyper-realistic rendering emanates intangibility that strikes the mind and stirs the soul, adding an amplitude of meaning to his stunning aesthetics and resulting in a perceptive masterpiece of infinite motion. Contrasting colors and spiritual energies is not the end of his elaborate expression, however, as his choice of western style and paint to depict a Chinese object is as much a play on culture contrasts as it is on the artist and his subject. Lee Jung Woong’s works are hence, multifaceted in both meaning and visuals - their magnificence is only amplified by a variety of interpretation. Through his veritable array of manners of perception and viewing, the artist’s ‘Brush’ series has found success all over the world; Lee has had his works exhibited in several solo and group exhibitions worldwide in countries such as America, Switzerland, Singapore and Spain, and was featured in auctions by Sothebys and Christies. He is becoming an increasingly sought-after artist in prestigious collections the world over.
Exhibitions
Exhibitions
2022
Control in Spontaneity - Ode to Art, Singapore
2021
Leehwaik Gallery 20th Anniversary Part 1, Leehwaik Gallery, Seoul, Korea
South Korean Contemporary Art, Pontone Gallery, London, England
2019
Brush and Blue Abstraction, London, England
2018
Korean Contemporary, Opera Gallery, Singapore
Beyond Reality, Opera Gallery, Singapore
2017
Korean Masters, London, England
2016
Pontone Gallery Opening Exhibition, London, England
2013
Strokes of Perception, Ode to Art, Kuala Lumpur
2011
Suseong Artpia, Maek-Hyang Gallery, Daegu, Korea
Motion in Stillness, Ode To Art Contemporary, Singapore
2009
Gana Art New York, NY, Chelsea
Tsubaki Gallery, Tokyo, Japan
Gallery TN, Beijing, China
2008
Gana Art Gallery, Insa Art Center, Seoul, Korea
Asia Art Center, Taipei, Taiwan
2007
Leehwaik Gallery, Seoul, Korea
GSR Gallery, Beijing, China
2006
Gallery Wil, Seoul, Korea
2005
Gallery M, Daegu, KoreaInsa Art Center, Seoul, Korea
2004
Debec Plaza Gallery, Daegu, Korea
Gongsan Gallery, Daegu, Korea