Lee Houk Biography

Houk Lee creates sasaeng ink paintings, not sparing the effort to carry his painting tools outdoors. He sketches in ink and brush not only the nature reflected upon his body but also the senses he feels while standing alone in the midst of nature. Through this, he aims to transcend all dichotomies that have emerged with civilization, such as human and nature, self and others, inside and outside, center and periphery, empire and colony.

Houk Lee graduated from the Department of Korean Painting at Chung-Ang University in 2011, completed his master's in the same department in 2014, and graduated from the Department of Art Studies in 2017. As of 2023, he is an adjunct professor at Konyang University College of Humanities and a visiting professor at Chung-Ang University and Sungshin Women's University.

Major Works

Sasaeng Ink Paintings

Houk Lee ventures into vast open fields, mountains, and seas to paint. Standing alone on the land facing the expansive natural landscape, he sharpens his senses. To him, the natural scenery becomes a "mirror wall for introspection," allowing him to immerse in self-reflection. Through his sasaeng ink paintings, he captures phenomenological experiences that oscillate between his internal and external boundaries.

His attitude in continuing the tradition of ink painting is not just about inheriting a narrow range of traditions. He strives to actively use East Asian traditional techniques, not only from Korea but also from Japan and China, to encompass a broader Pan-Asian worldview. For example, he adopts traditional techniques such as applying gold leaf as done in the Kano school of Japan or using pigments used in ceramic paintings, aiming to innovate these methods as tools.

Houk Lee's efforts are to overcome the dichotomies set by modern culture. His base of activities, materials, and techniques are somewhat peripheral in the context of contemporary Korean art. His portrayal of landscapes from various regions through sasaeng ink painting is not just to place the periphery at the center, which would merely repeat the logic of the center. Instead, he attempts to dismantle the very dichotomous notion that divides center and periphery. Since modern culture is based on dichotomy, he criticizes the culture itself and strives to practice beyond the boundaries dividing human and nature, inside and outside, empire and colony, the West and the East.

Awards and Selections

Houk Lee has participated in residency programs such as Jeju Udo Creative Studio (2018), OCI Museum of Art Creation Studio (2020), Yeonseoksan Museum of Art Creation Studio (2021), and Youngeun Museum of Art Creation Studio (2022). He has received awards such as the Chung-Ang University Art Award (Chung-Ang University, Seoul, 2011), the 1st Gwangju Hawru Grand Prize (Gwangju Bank + Asia Culture Center, Gwangju, 2017), and was selected for the Seongnam Cube Art Museum Collection (Seongnam Cube Art Museum, Seongnam, 2018).

Exhibitions

His major solo exhibitions include "Portal of Mystery" (Gallery Chosun, Seoul, 2022), "Endless" (Youngeun Museum of Art, Gwangju, 2022), "Infinite Ascension" (Yeonseoksan Art Museum, Wanju, Gimcheon closing School, Gimcheon, 2021), "Glowing Face" (Gallery Chosun, Seoul, 2018), among others.

Key group exhibitions include "Wild Wild West" (MMCA Art Center, Pyeongtaek, 2023), "Healing the Mind" (Seongnam Cube Art Museum, Seongnam, 2022), "Yeonseoksan Familyship" (Yeonseoksan Museum of Art, Wanju, 2021), "2021 CRE8TIVE REPORT" (OCI Museum of Art, Seoul, 2021), "Between Brush and Ink" (Korean Cultural Centre, Hong Kong, 2020), "Korean painting, Broadens the Horizons of New Forms" (Zaha Museum of Art, Seoul, 2019), "Beautiful Temple Mihwangsa" (Hakgojae Gallery, Seoul, 2017), "10 Artists of Gwangju Hawru" (Asia Culture Center, Gwangju, 2017), "2017 Jeonnam International Sumuk Biennale" (Forest of Trees, Mokpo, 2017), "Anxiety" (Geumcheon Art Space, Seoul, 2017), "Poetry Within the Painting" (Hanwon Museum of Art, Seoul, 2012), and others.

Text courtesy Gallery Chosun.