Become a My Ocula member for exclusive access to contemporary art and personalised artist recommendations.
Join Us Sign In
The Art World in Focus
Clear
Dooshik Lee

DOOSHIK LEE

Re-encountering 'Festival' Sun Gallery 15 April–5 May 2026 Seoul
Overview Artworks Location
Request Prices & Availability
Press Release

Sun Gallery presents a retrospective of the late Dooshik Lee (1947–2013), one of Korea’s leading abstract painters, bringing together around sixty works in painting and drawing. The exhibition centers on his signature “Festival” series, in which gestural, calligraphic energy and a vivid obangsaek (traditional Korean five-color) palette drive a distinctly Korean form of abstract expressionism. A professor and later dean at Hongik University, Lee exhibited widely from the late 1980s; his work is held in major collections including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA) and the National Art Museum of China (NAMOC) in Beijing, which acquired his work in 2003 as its first by a foreign artist. Thirteen years after his passing, “Festival Reunited” revisits the full breadth of his practice, from large-scale canvases to works on paper.

Installation Views

Exhibition view: Dooshik Lee, Re-encountering 'Festival', Sun Gallery, Seoul (15 April–5 May 2026). Courtesy Sun Gallery.
Exhibition view: Dooshik Lee, Re-encountering 'Festival', Sun Gallery, Seoul (15 April–5 May 2026). Courtesy Sun Gallery.
Exhibition view: Dooshik Lee, Re-encountering 'Festival', Sun Gallery, Seoul (15 April–5 May 2026). Courtesy Sun Gallery.
Exhibition view: Dooshik Lee, Re-encountering 'Festival', Sun Gallery, Seoul (15 April–5 May 2026). Courtesy Sun Gallery.
Exhibition view: Dooshik Lee, Re-encountering 'Festival', Sun Gallery, Seoul (15 April–5 May 2026). Courtesy Sun Gallery.

Also Exhibiting at Sun Gallery

All Exhibitions
Group Exhibition
GROUP EXHIBITION CHO WEOL JU EUI (Panvital Transcendentalism) Sun Gallery 26 August–29 September 2026 Seoul
Obvious
OBVIOUS The Cycle: Incipit Sun Gallery 3 September–2 October 2026 Seoul
About the Gallery

Founded in 1977 by Chang-sil Kim in the historic Insadong district of Seoul, Sun Gallery is one of Korea’s longest-operating commercial galleries. Over nearly five decades it has presented more than 500 curated exhibitions spanning painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, and craft, and it played a pioneering role in introducing international art fairs to Korea in the 1990s. Landmark initiatives include Sun Art Magazine (launched 1979, 52 issues) and the Sun Art Prize (established 1984, 22 laureates to date), and the program has presented international masters such as Marc Chagall, Emile Antoine Bourdelle, and Marino Marini alongside several generations of Korean artists. From a renovated four-floor space in Insadong, the gallery champions a roster ranging from senior Korean masters, including monochrome painting and chaesaekhwa pioneers, to leading mid-career and emerging painters and sculptors, with an active fair presence across Frieze Seoul, Art Basel Hong Kong, Expo Chicago, Art SG, Art Central Hong Kong, the Galleries Art Fair, KIAF, and Abu Dhabi Art.

View Gallery Profile
Address
Insadong 5-gil 8
Jongno-gu
Seoul
South Korea
Opening Hours
Monday - Saturday
10am-6pm
(1)
Seoul Insadong 5-gil 8
Sun Gallery contemporary art gallery in Seoul South Korea
Sun Gallery
Insadong 5-gil 8, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
+82 2 734 0458
https://www.sungallery.co.kr/

Opening hours
Monday - Saturday
10am-6pm
Magazine Gallery Platform Advisory
Ocula Magazine

A respected voice in contemporary art discourse.

Focusing on ambitious storytelling and insightful art-world commentary. Ocula Magazine publishes in-depth interviews, critical essays and timely analysis on the artists, exhibitions and ideas driving the global art world.

 Learn more about Ocula Magazine Learn more about Ocula Magazine Ocula Gallery Platform

Showcasing the best of the art world.

Ocula partners with galleries from around the world to highlight their artists, artworks and exhibitions. Gallery membership is by application and invitation, with each member vetted by an independent panel.

 Learn more about Ocula Membership Learn more about Ocula Membership Ocula Advisory

Specialises in the sale of major artworks.

Led by a team with deep ties to the world’s leading auction houses, galleries and collectors. Ocula’s advisory team offers bespoke services to high-net-worth clients from around the world who are looking to acquire the best of contemporary and modern art.

 Learn more about our team and services Learn more about Ocula Advisory
The art world in focus