Lee, Hag jae
SOAF 2011
May 4 ~ May 8, 2011
COEX. 1F, Hall B1,2
Written by Lee, Hee young (art critic)
There is a painter who depicts the tiger with such inarticulate but honest expression as evokes a smile and compassion for the audience. Lately, some fine art activities have been criticized as too gorgeous and sensational.
Such criticism seems to be due to the concern that the gorgeous and sensational art might overwhelm the audience or make them turn their back to art. In contrast, Lee, Hak jae's 'tiger' paintings can be read easily because the forms are of much affinity, which will help to relieve such concern. It was 'Polyphony' Exhibition in 1992 that his 'tiger' painting was introduced to the audience for the first time. At that time, his 'tiger' painting was surrounded by the abstract paintings and the installations produced by his colleagues. His 'tiger' seemed to have given up the intense experimental volition required of the serious but novel contemporary art. Until now, he has continued to give up the intense volition.
▲ tiger-008-4(35x35)
Lee, Hak jae records intact the brush labor painting the plane. Stains and pigment drops are found here and there on the canvas, and the brush traces hinting artist's body gestures remain there intact. Neither the object is depicted in details nor an idea is revealed clearly. His painting exposes its production process honestly; in a sense, it is little perfect. Here, the resistance and response of the canvas to artist's rush are vivid. Nevertheless, his canvas does not look like an Abstract Expressionism painting which seems to put on all the physical properties of the gushing pigment. Rather, his canvas hints a motion of the hand responding to the elasticity of the plane, an image revealing something, or his sporadic control for the co-existence of such motion and image in the same space. Hence, the audience will read artist's pure gesture and tiger image simultaneously on his canvas.Lee, Hak jae's 'tiger' recovers the form inherited in audience's mind-set, while representing the artist himself. It is said that at first, his 'tiger' began to be depicted or scribbled on his memo pad together with other objects, while he was teaching his students. The depiction of artist's private everyday life and thoughts as images was equivalent to an attempt requiring the intervention of time. Such attempt was intended to combine the perspective into a still solid with the time flowing incessantly on the canvas. The result is 'a tiger image' full of the rich parody and personification as well as the familiarity.
The tiger in the folklore painting emerges as an expression of a desire. The animal has long been printed in Korean people's mind as a symbol realizing such desire. Today, however, the tiger no longer keeps the power to realize our desire. It was replaced long ago with Benz, the right to live in Pangyo, Lotto, etc. Lee, Hak je's 'tiger' struggles to give up the intense experiment, only to argue caricuturizingly for the recovery of the painting or the fine art.
▲tiger-006(65x65)
Lee, Hag jae
BFA In Painting, Han Sung University, Korea
Solo Exhibitions
2011 What the tiger said. lady Palace Gallery
2010 What the tiger said. Insa Art Gallery, United Gallery, Kyung Hyang Gallery
2009 What the tiger said. Ange Gallery, Lamer Gallery
Awards
2010 'Artist of This Year' (Kyunghyang Daily)
'Excellent Artist of the United' (United Foundation)
'Top Artist' (Institute for Culture and Art Exchange Promotion)
Art Fairs
2011 Seoul Open Art Fair (Seoul, Korea)
2010 Art Sidney (Sidney, Australia)
Insa Art Fair (Insa Gallery, Seoul)
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