Artist Profile: Youngjun Lee

Born in 1983 in Seoul, South Korea, artist Youngjun Lee lives and works in Munich, Germany.

In his paintings, Youngjun Lee tries to compress time and space. While in his earlier works he created space by erasing and overpainting without dividing the canvas, he now attempts to visually reproduce the layers. Each layer is superimposed and divided according to certain rules established by the artist. First he spontaneously sets lines, from which he then builds up the room in layers using various techniques and materials. By using different materials and formats, the boundaries within the image are tightened and the space is organized.

However, he does not attempt to strictly separate the layers on the canvas. Rather, he wants to destroy and recreate the temporality and spatiality that arise in the process of building layers. He uses design elements that transcend demarcated areas and thus disrupt the shapes that have already been created. He also intentionally uses random effects to break up the systematic structure of the image. The relationships created between the image levels multiply from front to back until they dissolve into an unmanageable chaos in the depth of the image. The space is eventually distorted, deconstructed and transformed back into a flat surface by the fragments of the representations left behind in numerous operations of selection and deletion.

Lee looks for new motifs in the complex images that have repeatedly gone through this subversive journey. The structures, shapes, textures and colors that the artist encounters on this journey into confusion are interpreted by him and, like quick notes, only briefly captured. These abstract drawings are placed over or contrasted with existing image elements until these layers condense and penetrate so much that they finally merge into a spatial plane on which the intuitive forms seem to float aimlessly around.

Through his unique creative language, Youngjun Lee explores new forms and creates sensorial experiences. In particular, he maintains an ambivalent attitude towards intention and chance during the artistic process, which adds to the tension in his works. Organically combining or destroying structure and form, form and content, and blurring the boundaries of his works, he leaves open the possibility of various interpretations.

Photo credits: © youngjunlee.