LEE SEUNG HEE


ARTIST BIO & STATEMENT

Lee Seung Hee was born in 1958 in Cheongju, the capital of North Chungcheong province, South Korea. He trained in the Craft Design Department at Cheongju University, where he studied ceramics, fibercraft, dyeing, and tapestry. His remarkable ceramic works unite traditional Korean forms' beauty and charm with contemporary art's more conceptual concerns. As a master of ceramics technique, he created much of his work in Jingdezhen, in southeastern China, where he established a studio in this historic center of Chinese porcelain production in 2008. For the past 35 years of his artistic career, Lee has been at the revolutionary frontier in the contemporary ceramic art world. Lee has consistently challenged the overall perspective on ceramic art, employing refined materials and leading to the innovation of contemporary ceramic paintings and installations from the traditional origins of porcelain art. Lee emphasizes motifs, materials, and colors that enable viewers to make a direct connection between his undeniably contemporary works and the rich heritage of Asian Ceramics. Lee's works accentuate the significance of soil and ground, featuring ceramics as his central motif and exploring themes of regeneration.

Lee Seung Hee has been invited to numerous solo exhibitions including 2020 TAO at Clayarch Gimhae Museum, Synchronicity, and TAO: Between Dimensions at Park Ryu Sook Gallery in Seoul, Korea; Transfiguration at Waterfall Gallery in NY, USA; Object beyond Object at Force Gallery in Beijing, China; Path at Wally Findlay Gallery in Palm Beach, FL; CLAYZEN at Korean Craft Museum in Cheongju, Korea, and many more. Lee's works have been exhibited internationally at Cheongju Museum of Art in Korea, SeMA Nam-Seoul Museum of Art in Seoul, Korea, Ozasa Gallery in Kyoto, Japan, V&A Museum in London, UK, International Biennale of Vallauris 2016 in Vallauris, France, and the 3rd international Jinan Biennale at Shandong Art Museum and Jinan Art Museum in Jinan, China. .

Lee's ceramic masterpieces range from low-relief, two-dimensional surfaces to freestanding bamboo sculptures.

Previously Lee focused on his Porcelain Series, which reinterprets a variety of historic ceramic masterpieces—vases, bowls, jars, dishes, bottles, drinking vessels–from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910).

Currently, Lee focuses on his Space of 8mm Series. Working with flat clay surfaces measuring 8mm in thickness, he crafts pieces in various sizes and formats, skillfully mimicking the appearance of folded or layered paper. By applying 10 to 20 layers of a kaolin clay and water mixture, he creates a delicate yet perceptible "paper-thin" elevation. Before firing, he selectively glazes the pieces, often coating the front while leaving the back of the folded forms unglazed. By varying glaze colors and thicknesses, Lee achieves a stunning spectrum of rich, nuanced hues.

In his latest addition to the Space of 8mm series, the Like Paper extension, Lee delves into the origins of paper, exploring the wonder surrounding its invention. While paper is now as ubiquitous as air, he is captivated by the curiosity and joy that first led to its creation. Through this series, he rekindles that same sense of wonder and sincerity in each of his works.

Lee's Bamboo Series evokes the essence of a traditional ink-and-wash painting. When installed viewers are invited to walk amongst the oasis of the Bamboo Grove.

In Asian culture, bamboo symbolizes virtues like modesty, integrity, and resilience. Previously, for the CAFA Museum exhibition installation, Lee showcased ceramic bamboo trunks towering nearly 14 feet high, boasting up to 10,000 meticulously crafted ceramic joints. Lee deliberately selected colors reminiscent of classic Korean ceramics, with each joint of the bamboo representing a ceramic unit varying in color and gloss.

“Seunghee Lee understands the traditional history of bamboo and its symbolism but wants to do something dramatic. He wants to remake bamboo out of the most fragile and inflexible of materials: clay. Thus, a fascinating tension is created between the memory of the flexible natural tree and the inflexible man-made pottery. Something that in its natural state used to bend now stands rigid and vulnerable. We are invited to contemplate a set of oppositions — 'Natural; 'Hard'-'Soft'; 'Flexible'-'Rigid.’ These are properties of the clay bamboo forest vs. a natural bamboo forest, but they are also properties of all of us. Seunghee Lee takes us on a walk into a forest that is a part of us all.” 

- Alain de Botton, Art Critic and Writer of The Art of Beauty and Happiness – Memory

Central Academy of Fine Arts Museum, Exhibition Video, 2024

Healing Campaign, 2020

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