Yong-baek Lee b. 1966
EDUCATION:
Staatliche Akademie der Bildende Kunste Stuttgart, Germany ; Aufbau Studium (Bildhauerei), Germany; B.F.A College of Fine Art, Hongik University, Seoul, South Korea
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS:
SOLO - 1999 Tactile Documentary , Sungkok Museum, Seoul, South Korea; 1993 Installation und Zeichnungen , Gallerie Zehentscheuer, Munsingen, Germany
GROUP - 2005 Banana Surfer , Ieum Gallery , Dashanzi, Beijing, China; post IMF , Art Ark Gallery, Shanghai, China; 2003 Out the Window , The Japan Foundation Forum, Japan;
mobile project 1 -¡®pronto', Milano, Italy; Crossing 2003: Korea/Hawaii , Hawaii Art Gallery, Hawaii Contemporary Art Museum, USA; S.O.S , Galerie Weisser Elefant, Berlin, Germany; Jeon-ju International Film Festival, Jeon-ju, South Korea; 2002 Media City 2002 , The 2nd International Media Art Biennale in Seoul, South Korea; Pause ? Gwangju Biennale Project 4 , GwangJu, South Korea; 2000 Venice Biennale 2000, Arsenale, Italy; Media-City Seoul 2000: Digital Alice , Seoul Metropolitan Museum, Seoul, South Korea
The current demographic in Korea is quite interesting. Approximately 30% of the population are Christians, 30% Buddhists, and 30% non-religious, with the rest following indigenous religion. But underlying this is the Confucian way of life which reflect the fact that it was a national religion of the people for five centuries prior to the modern era. Thus although not exactly pantheistic, there is a quite a large percentage of population in whose mind Buddha and Jesus occupy the same place, and we see this reflected in Yong-Baek Lee's work.
On a mirrored box, we see a small tin can, unlabeled, opened and empty. We see two cans, one real, other a reflection. On close inspection, we see something moving in the reflected can, whilst the other, the real one, remains empty. Through the looking glass, we see an object which seems to transcend time, space, heart and the mind, that of Buddha and Jesus coalescing and changing, which may represent the way East and West seems to be merging, changing each other, bringing about a new reality which needs better understanding from both sides. |
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In-between (2006)
Video installation 150 x 150 x 50 (h) cm
Courtesy of the artist |
