LEE JIN WOO


ARTIST BIO & STATEMENT

Lee Jin Woo, born in 1959 in South Korea, graduated from Sejong University and moved to France in 1983, where he studied Plastic Arts and Art Materials Science at Paris 8 University and the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Studying fine art he found charcoal and hanji paper as a medium to search and express his identity. Lee Jin Woo’s meticulous layering process, involving transparent layers of charcoal and hanji paper, forged a profound bond with repetition and transformation through laborious efforts and mental exhaustion. The carbon in the paintings is compacted in transparent layers of Hanji paper and dragged with force by a metallic brush through a strenuous and repetitive movement. On the surface, it creates rough and steep reliefs referring to a possible interior landscape. This process of subtraction of charcoal and its spirit of alchemy leads Lee Jin Woo’s work into a state of silence.

Lee Jin Woo has been included in many solo and group exhibitions including Eranthis at Galerie Maria Lund in Paris, France; BTAP Tokyo Gallery in Tokyo, Japan; LEEAHN Gallery in Seoul, Korea; H.T Gallery in Beijing, China; Walking on the white side at Institutto Coreano in Rome, Italy; Escale coreenne at Musee Cernuschi in Paris, France. Most recently he held solo exhibitions at White Cube Gallery in Hong Kong and London, and Powerlong Museum in Shanghai, China with an upcoming solo exhibition in 2027 at Asia Society in Hong Kong. His artist book was published in 2017 by Actes Sud.

The work of Lee Jin Woo stems from an environment of physical and mental exhaustion. He creates artworks of such depth by placing charcoal on acrylic-covered linen, covering the surface with hanji paper. The carbon in the paintings is compacted in transparent layers of Hanji paper and dragged with force by a metallic brush through a strenuous and repetitive movement. This process of subtracting charcoal imbues Lee Jin Woo's work with a transformative silence, turning the "object" into abstraction. A careful and prolonged observation is necessary to access the spiritual essence within. For Lee Jin Woo, artistic practice is more than a pursuit; it becomes a meditative journey, evolving into a life principle.

“Lee’s vision is that art is not a means to show an artist’s brilliance, his or her sharpness of thought or intellectualism, so that viewers can be shocked, surprised or taught something. Rather, the viewer can think of anything he or she wants in front of the art at ease. The viewer can even abandon the very act of thinking, simply relaxing and forgetting everyday life, and being recharged through this momentary deviation. That is what art should be. The unpurposeful painting should allow mental freedom for the viewers. The art can be a meaningful resting place that can give freedom of imagination, emotion, and perception.” - Kim Lim, Art writer, Director of Art Platform Asia

Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum, Exhibition Video, 2024

Leeahn Gallery: The Korean Artist, 2023

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