Seung Lee (이 승)

 

 

 

 

 

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Biography

Born 1960

Professor of Long Island University C.W. Post Campus

Address : 21 Sunup Trail,

 

EDUCATION

1986 MFA Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York

(Major: Painting, Minor: Drawing)

1984 BFA Maryland Institute College of Art,

Baltimore, Maryland (Major : Drawing, Minor : Painting)

1983-84 Studio Art Center International, Florence, Italy

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Seung Lee is a Korean-American contemporary artist whose work world was greatly influenced by the experiences and growth background of his immigrant 1.5 generations. The immigrant 1.5 generation refers to the generation who was born in Korea but immigrated at a young age and experienced a different culture. They experience exchange and adaptation with local cultures while maintaining their own cultural identity. Lee's childhood experiences in Korea and his life in the U.S. were also reflected in his work. Through how his childhood memories were reflected in his work, and how language and cultural duality influenced his work, his work shows a more diverse perspective and approach. This multicultural background contributed to his acceptance of the diversity of art and development of a rich visual expression.
Lee Seung's paintings, drawings, and large-scale installations have been widely displayed not only in the United States but also internationally, including Italy, France, Germany, Japan, China, and Korea. He has received numerous reviews from The New York Times, Newsday, Radio Interview with RTHK (HONG KONG), WLIW-FM, Kyoto Times, Hankook Daily News, Busan Ilbo, Art Word Magazine, Art Price Magazine, Art in Culture Magazine, and Art. Price Magazine, Art & People Magazine, Woori Bank was selected as the VIP calendar for 2018.
It has received many awards. It was named the Governor of New York State, Nassau County Supervisor, Suffolk County Supervisor, New Jersey Mayor, 2022 Korean Professors Association of the Year Artist of the Year, and 2011 by the Korean Art Association.

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Lee has been an invited panelist at the National Endowment for the Arts, Maine Fellowship, Decentralization Grants for New York Artists, International Documentary Film Festival, Berkshire Museum, Long Island Museum, Hexher Art Museum, Islip Art Museum, and International Natural Art Biennale.
 

Professor Lee Seung has been growing the bamboo forest that sits behind his house, working with undergraduates and graduates at the university. The bamboo forest is also a symbol of his efforts to support the beauty and resilience of bamboo as a part of Asian culture. Bamboo has a tall and slim pole, representing the Korean heart and aesthetics, and it has become the center of his spontaneous efforts to combine Western culture with Asian intelligence. Now a poet who is sympathetic to the West, his brush still won't leave the influence of Asia.

This world of art explores the connections between his life and the works of art he creates. His process of looking back on the past and rediscovering himself in the present is set in a very Asian karma mindset. This reflects an in-depth understanding of past and present, nature and people, or changes and cycles of the soul. His art is exploring these complex themes through various fragments of time and space that he has experienced.
 

Lee Seung's exhibition in 2004 was unique and shocking. Hundreds of collected bottles were displayed, including his previous works cut with scissors. Works have to have mental conflict with ruining paintings because they are a very part of his life. However, it means that he has not rejected or forgotten his past by placing the cut paintings in a beautiful bottle. Reemerging or transforming into a different art form means accepting his life in the same way. By showing the cut paintings to the audience in remade forms, it reassures them that he is not rejecting his past.
 

This world's art explores profound themes, such as the transfer of souls and natural cycles, and the Buddha's philosophy on karma. His work centers on the interaction between nature and humans, and is greatly influenced by an Asian karma mindset. His attitude toward Korea can be seen in his work as well. Korea is a popular destination for him, but he doesn't see it as just an outside place. Instead, he tries to keep his good memories and past experiences in his mind there. Even if he doesn't have many memories of his hometown, he knows that it has changed over time.
 

Lee wants to explore his past again by visiting the place where he lived as a child and find the truth there.

There are three key words for Lee's artwork. First, it is recycling or recycling. He used to do his artwork using discarded car wheels or accessories. Bringing abandoned objects to life with his artwork is one of the important features of Lee's artwork. He recycled canvas that the students he taught discarded. By retouching on the discarded painting, he creates new artwork. There are cases where technical supplements are made, and sometimes, he attempts to develop or complete concepts.

Second, it's the location or area. It honestly reveals the place where he stands. Brooklyn is the area where he currently lives. His artwork reveals Brooklyn as it is. You can read local characteristics in the colors, techniques, and images that he uses. Stencil or spray techniques used are common techniques in graffiti, and achromatic or dark brown colors are the casting colors of Brooklyn Street.

Third, it is identity. The country of the United States is a society that constantly confirms one's identity. It shows the process of circulation and regression by destroying one's own work and reviving it and illuminating it from a different angle. This is a reflection and exploration of one's identity.

This world of art is very serious and has a social message. Work involving natural materials, such as bamboo, is influenced by Eastern culture, thereby emphasizing abstract expressionist elements. The materials used in the work are mainly those found on the street or in other environments.
 

It acts as an important factor in imparting emotion, passion, and truth to a task. Some objects plead for their lives, while others feel content to stay on the spot. This emphasizes the history and social significance of discarded objects, and makes society feel satisfied

It sends a message criticizing the wasteful nature of.
 

He is very interested in the local environment in which he resides, and is one of the reasons why he supports the local art community and works through various art exhibitions. His work is one of the ways to express his love and responsibility for his family, neighbors, society, and natural environment, creating results that combine social messages and artistic expressions. It becomes an important way to explore your inner world through art and at the same time elicit conversations about social issues.
 

The artwork emphasizes the beauty that is not directly derived from life, but was formed in the world of imagination. It reflects the will to establish itself as a painter of imagination beyond reality through art. Works are exquisite and delicate, and have developed through sharp imagination and artistic experimentation. His duality is not just a realm of imagination, but an important aspect that reflects the very different influences of the two countries in which he has lived.