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Seong-Gu Lee (Eclectic Gallery London, 2023)
Seong-Gu Lee (b. 1984) is a renowned South Korean artist specialising in contemporary figurative sculpture. By his late-30s the artist had built an exceptional career and established a unique sculptural style. In 2012 he participated in the To Exist or To Disappear exhibition at Gallery Grimson and in 2016 took part in Antithesis at the Gana Insa Art Centre, Seoul, which set the tone for his international success as an artist. In 2017 Lee received his Master of Fine Art degree in Sculpture from the University of Seoul. Since 2018 he has been represented by Eclectic Gallery in London which facilitated multiple group shows and exhibited his masterpieces at the Affordable Art Fairs and Start Art Fairs at the Saatchi Gallery.
Seong-Gu Lee conveys his artistic agenda through two series of sculptures: Solaris and Chiasme. Chiasme or chiasmus describes a pattern of intersecting lines, the simplest of which is the X. Seong-Gu Lee’s philosophy is rooted in the phenomenological theory of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, one of the leading proponents of existentialism and phenomenology in post-war France. In The Visible and the Invisible, Merleau-Ponty argues that the chiasmus is a five-fold bodily relation, referring to the body’s connection to both the visible and the invisible, its connection to reality through the eyes, its experience of tangible interaction between itself and the rest of the world, its linguistic interactions, and lastly the social relations between the One and the Other. For Merleau-Ponty, this fivefold relationship is a phenomenon that challenges the idea of objective universal truth and raises fundamental questions of existence.
Reflecting on this, Seong-Gu Lee says: “All my sculptures consist of both my story and the stories of everyone else in the world. It was created through my hands, but is simultaneously connected and intersected with all the phenomena in the world. This is because I, too, have already been influenced by everything in the world. Therefore, when my sculptures are placed in front of the viewer, away from their cradle, I hope that they will intersect with the gaze of the viewer and become a new image, a new story that I could not have thought of myself. I have no doubt that it is the most significant aspect of my practice and a way to make my sculpture immortal.”
Hence, the main structural element that Seong-Gu Lee uses in his sculptures is an elaborate cross. The Chiasme series consists of a total of 108 pieces with each unique artwork telling a different story. According to Lee, the number 108 is sacred in many religions and represents the individual’s connection to their inner self and to the world. The Solaris series follows on from the Chiasme series: the solar system is used to express the eternity and vastness of human thought.
Lee’s sculptures come in three sizes: medium, large and extra-large. Compositionally they are very dynamic, having been designed to fill and complement the space around them. Some are created as wall installations, while others are free-standing. This inter-spatial interaction between the sculptures creates a strong sense of place, which every viewer can relate to and inhabit while engaging with these intricate works. For instance, Solaris 8 is a smaller figure situated within a bronze metallic circle. The figure’s posture is inviting and contemplative, focusing attention on its inner core. Chiasme 7, on the other hand, is larger and more focused on the expression of its inner strength through a proud, triumphant posture. Chiasme 83 from the same series appears to be in a semi-sitting pose, reminiscent of the Thinker.
Lee believes that a free-flowing exploration of the beauty of the body can offer fresh ways of critically engaging with the world around us and our own relation to it. Through their interaction with the viewer, Lee’s powerfully expressive sculptures extend their “lives” beyond their physical bodies. When contemplating Lee’s work, the audience cannot help but relate to and be moved by the fundamental questions of relevance and mortality, which are embodied in bronze and stainless steel in front of them.
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Seong-Gu Lee (Eclectic Gallery London, 2021)
Reflecting on his work, sculptor Seong-Gu Lee notes that: "It is not that human beings themselves have changed but that the surrounding environment and cultural elements have significantly changed…whether ancient man or modern man, I don't think their basic desires or inner worlds are much different."
Born in Korea in 1984 and having received his M.F.A in Sculpture from the University of Seoul, in 2017, Seong-Gu Lee‘s ‘To Exist or to Disappear’ at Gallery Grimson in 2012 and ‘Antithesis’ at Ganainsa Art Centre in 2016 (both in Seoul) received notable reviews and set the tone for the following artistic years. He had previously received a first prize award at The 8th Danwon Art Festival in Ansan, Korea; has collaborated on several projects throughout the years in Korea as well as internationally — the ‘Phoenician, A luxury collection resort’ in 2017 in the USA for instance,. His several group exhibitions include Singapore Contemporary Art Show, Suntec Singapore Convention, and the Exhibition Centre in 2016 and in the 100th anniversary Exhibition at Redbrick Gallery in 2018.
Importantly, the highly regarded artist Seong-Gu Lee has been represented by the Eclectic Gallery in London since 2018. The gallery – which predominantly focuses on emerging and established artists – have displayed Lee’s work in many group exhibitions including in the most recent one ‘Spotting the Brightness’, wherein his colossal and hanging sculptures were perfectly clustered amongst paintings and other monuments. Faceless Stainless Steel works such as some of the Chiasme Series give one a sense of movement whilst being methodically static, and the hanging bronze works Solaris Series intrinsically balance on walls beckoning one to come nearer.
Recognised and using the sculptural human form as his focal point and subject, South Korean artist Seong-Gu Lee aesthetically depicts the inner struggles faced by human beings since the dawn of time.
His figurative bronze and steel sculptures are elaborate metallic figures that consist of fragmented and faceless beings poignantly fighting to stay alive, present and relevant – imperatively, a theme of incomplete humanity remains integral. Lee’s figures intriguingly dip into a ceaseless pool of “metaphoric acids” with somewhat ephemeral intense sentimentalities.
In truth, the artworks can be interpreted in so many ways as each aspect has some creative importance including the metallic raw materials where they stem from. According to Lee, “Metals have a higher heat resistance than other materials when they are heated. However, once it begins to cool, it cools quite fast and becomes cold as if it had never been hot. I believe this isn't much different from the emotional cycles of human beings.”
The sculptures contain plethora layers of interpretation with the individual deciphering and interpreting as they see fit. Curiously yet unsurprisingly, the artist aims to achieve immortality through his sculptures. One could say that, indeed, the artworks will indisputably surpass this lifetime and the next— in sculptural form and theoretical notions.
It’s no surprise that the metallic monoliths allow one to contemplate one’s existence whilst being incredibly aesthetically alluring—bewitching one to investigate deeper and linger in their presence. They are the ideal sculptural decor and aesthetically adjust to their environment – be it at home, outdoor interior, a solo or group exhibition. One might start consider Seong-Gu Lee as a master of his generation.
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Metallic Fragmented and Faceless Human Sculptures by Korean Artist Seong Gu Lee
Artist Seong Gu Lee depicts the tormented soul of men through the creation of faceless and fragmented sculptures. As eerie as they are emotional, the artworks reflect the inner struggles humans have encountered throughout time. The artist explains, “It is not that human beings themselves have changed but that the surrounding environment and cultural elements have significantly changed. Whether ancient man or modern man, I don’t think their basic desires or inner worlds are much different.”
Hailing from Korea, Seong Gu Lee strives to depict concepts that surround the question of life such as its existence and the desire for immortality. Even as they appear to disintegrate before their audience’s eyes, the sculptures continue to fight to stay alive.
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Korean sculptor Seong Gu Lee employ the human shape as his sculptural topic, similar to so a lot of artists previous to him, to portray the internal struggle face by men all through time. The artist reflects on his possess works and comments that “It is not that person being themselves have distorted but that the nearby surroundings and educational elements have considerably distorted. Whether very old man or contemporary man, I don’t believe their basic requirements or inner worlds are a great deal different.” Lee’s vast succession of metallic sculptures queries life, existence, and the unachievable goal of an artist to arrive at immortality. Enjoy.
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Korean sculptor Seong Gu Lee uses the human figure as his sculptural subject, like so many artists before him, to depict the inner struggles faced by men throughout time. The artist reflects on his own works and notes that "It is not that human beings themselves have changed but that the surrounding environment and cultural elements have significantly changed. Whether ancient man or modern man, I don't think their basic desires or inner worlds are much different." Lee's vast series of metallic sculptures question life, existence, and the unattainable goal of an artist to reach immortality.
Similar to the figurative sculptures by Matteo Pugliese, Lee's men emerge from walls, missing parts of themselves. Aesthetically the artists' works are quite different, though they both have this underlying theme of incomplete men. In Lee's work, however, there's a strong sense that these fragmented and faceless men are fighting to stay alive, present, and relevant. They're disintegrating right before our eyes, as though dipped a pool of metaphoric acid, representing mortality and the ill fate of "existing" rather than truly "living."
Lee's sculptures contain layers upon layers of interpretation. Every element of his works have deep significance, right down to the metallic materials they are composed of. The artist explains his reason for working with his chosen elements, revealing a dark side to his works: "Metals have higher heat resistance than other materials when it has been heated. However, once it begins to cool, it cools quite fast and becomes cold as if it had never been hot. I believe this isn't much different from the emotional cycles of contemporary man."
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Mysterious and Fragmented Men Striving for Life
Seong Gu Lee is a Korean sculptor who believes in human figures for his sculptural work as a lot of artists have done before him in depicting the struggles men go through over a period of time. The artist seems to reflect the fact that it is not really man who has changed but his immediate environment including all elements of culture. In other words, whether the man is modern or ancient, the basic desires including inner worlds cannot be termed as any different.
The sculptures by Lee can be interpreted in so many ways with each element of work having some intense significance, including the metallic raw materials they are made with.
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Seong Gu Lee- Fragmented Men
Seong Gu Lee‘s sculptures are unreal. So much craftsmanship must go into each one, what a treat it would be to see them in person.
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<이성구의 살아지다 사라지다>
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박천남 (성곡미술관 학예연구실장)
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이성구는 인체를 다룬다. 환조가 아닌 부조로 다룬다. 작업 대부분이
그러하다. 자연스레 회화적 연출과 설정이 개입한다.
주된 제작기법은 소조다. 재료를 깎아 들어가 인체형상을 찾아내거나
끄집어내기보다는, 백지에 그림을 그리듯 몸과 맘을 하나하나
더해가며 궁극의 형태를 빚어낸다. 주지하다시피 인체는 조각이
꾸준하게 관심을 갖고 다루어 온 소재인 동시에 모티프다.
이성구의 그것은 전통 성형방식이었던 흙으로 만든, 이른바 모델링에
의한 인체가 아니다. 주형으로 떠낸 주물도 아니다.
이성구의 작업은 놀랍게도 용접술에 의한 소조다.
작업의 시종이 까다롭고 지난한 용접술에 의해 비롯되고 마무리된
독특한 방식의 순수 용접소조작업이다.
오늘날의 현대조각을 가능하게 한 직접적인 계기이자 제작방식인
용접술에 대한 작가의 지속적인 관심과 정확한 이해가 살아있음이다.
또한 가스와 용접봉, 토치 등을 자유자재로 주무르는 등 재료와 도구에
대한 탄탄한 실천적 기본기가 뒷받침되고 있기에 가능한 작업이다.
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이처럼 이성구는 무모하리만큼 용접술만으로 인체모델링 및
배경작업을 진행한다. 용접술을 사용한 대부분의 조각이 선묘적인
특성을 강조한 철조작업이거나 전통 모델링의 수직본능을 매력적으로
극복한 다양한 형식의 추상작업임을 감안할 때 그의 용접소조작업은
대단히 이례적이다. 추상적인 모티프를 강조한 작업도 있지만,
이성구의 작업은 대부분 구상조각이다.
엄밀히 말하면 구상표현적인 특성이 강한 용접조각이다.
재료나 기법에서도 알 수 있듯이 부드러운 라인과 표정을 보이는
편안한 느낌의 작업은 아니다. 무언가 매끈한 상태의 인체형상
이라기보다는 다소 불편한, 어떤 고통스런 상황으로부터 벗어나고자
하는 존재의 극적 몸부림이 두드러진다.
용접봉으로 지지고 녹이며 땀땀이 이어나간 흔적을 고스란히 간직한
울퉁불퉁한 표면은 보는 이의 시선을 오랫동안 잡아매기에 충분하다.
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몇몇 특정 상황과 함께 연출된 이성구의 인체는 전신으로 등장하거나
신체 특정 부분이 일부 강조되거나 거세되어 나타난다.
독립상으로 존재하기도 하고 뭔가에 구속, 종속된 상태로 몸부림치며
세상에 말을 건넨다.
어떤 극적인 한계상황 속에 놓인 채 무언의 소리를 낸다.
이러구러 살아가는 삶의 소리이자, 세상의 모든 존재들과 만나며
부딪히며 부대끼는 소리다. 파열음이기도 하고 협화음이기도 하다.
한편으론 재료로 사용된 용접봉들이 물리적으로 충돌하고 부딪는 소리,
용접봉과 토치가 만나 서로를 뜨겁게 불사르는 소리,
이성구의 치열한 호흡과 이들이 함께 빚어내는 소리이기도 하다.
용접봉이 씨줄과 날줄처럼 겹쳐지고 교차하고 만나고 부딪히며
하나가 되는 과정이 붕붕거린다.
복잡하게 얽힌 세상으로부터의 벗어남이거나 또다른 세상으로의
구원을 바라는 몸짓, 아우성이다.
용접술에 의해 탄생하고 비롯된 이런저런 인간상들이 세상을 향해
외치는 처절한 외침일 수도 있다.
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이성구는 매일처럼 수많은 용접봉을 녹였다.
그의 작업은 마치 흙을 빚어 올리듯 용접봉들을 녹이며 덧대고
이어나간 집념의 결과다.
수많은 융착행위의 집적과 집합의 결과로 형성된 용융체다.
이들 작업은 말초적인 인간 감정을 강조하거나 거세한 채 구상표현적
특성을 강하게 띠고 있다.
대부분의 인간 감정을 냉엄하게 제거한 채 세상과 부딪히며
상처입고 푸석해진 인간의 거친 내면을 드러낸다.
그들은 역사와 전통, 사회적 현실과 삶의 현실, 세상만사와의
관계 그물망 속에서 몸부림치듯 태어나고 존재하며 벗어나려 한다.
끈적끈적 벗어나기 힘든 현실,
몸부림칠수록 깊이 빠져드는 세상의 모든 유혹의 늪과 덫,
헤쳐 나올 수 없는 거미줄에 걸린 듯 몸부림친다.
부정하거나 거부할 수 없는 관계망에 놓여 있는 현실을 인정한다.
인간과 사회와의 보이지 않는 관계 그물망 속에서
자신을 바라보려는 현실 인식이 드러난다.
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그의 인체는 온전하지 않다.
부분적으로 절개되었거나 절단된 면을 강조하듯 드러내고 있다.
손, 발, 머리가 통째로 잘려나가 있거나 주요 부분이 왜곡되거나,
과장, 생략되어 있다. 물질만능의 세태 속에 거세된 인간 실존이
적나라하게 드러나고 있다. 불꽃 튀는 치열한 과정을 거쳤지만
싸늘하게 식어버린, 굳어버린 표정이 차라리 애처롭다.
바싹 말라버린, 푸석푸석 건조한 현실풍경이다.
누군가에 의해 유기질을 송두리째 빼앗겨버린, 박제된 듯
바삭한 동체가 눈길을 끈다.
무언가에 의해 활활 타버린 후 급속하게 냉각, 건조된 느낌이다.
화석화된 기억, 좀비와도 같은 공허함을 상기시킨다.
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이성구의 인체는 용접술에 의해 배경과 견고하게 혼융, 융착되어 있다.
작가의 호흡과 용접술에 의해 연출된 장면은 자신의 몸의 일부를
내어주고 상대의 또다른 그것을 기쁘게 받아들이는 뜨거운 만남과
화해의 순간이기도 하다. 서로를 격하게 끌어안는 장면을 중개하고
연출한 이성구의 열정과 격정이 빛을 발한다.
격정적인 연출, 꾸밈없는 접점을 만들어나가고 찾아나가는 과정이다.
열기와 온기가 식으면서 표정이 변하는 과정을 지켜본다.
가해자인 동시에 목도자로 개입하고 있다.
호흡을 고르는 것도 잠시, 땀을 뜨듯 용접봉을 하나하나 다시 이어나간다.
감정의 매듭이 도드라지듯 드러나기도 하고 넘쳐 흘러내리기도 한다.
이 모두가 빚어내는 뜨거운 아우성과 작가의 호흡, 그라인더의 굉음 등
불꽃 튀는 전장과도 같은 작업 현장이 중첩된다.
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작업 진행 과정상 이성구의 작업은 가역과 불가역의 경계를 오간다.
거역할 수 없는 불가역성, 또한 가역적인 부분이 공존한다.
물리적인 변위, 변형, 변환이 쉼 없이 교차한다. 일체의 세속적 욕망과
잡념이 불꽃 속으로 녹아든다. 용접봉과 함께 녹아든다.
혼융되어 있다. 용접농(膿)을 남길 따름이다.
상처와 함께 고름을 남긴다. 남겨진 농.
이성구의 작업은 농들의 교집합, 합집합에 다름 아니다.
예쁠 것도 없는, 투박하게 뭉뚱그려진 뭉툭한 점으로 하나되어 만난다.
몸을 녹이는 자기희생을 통해 또다른 존재의 가능성을 매개한다.
그것은 자기존재의 증명이자 세상에서 부딪히며 입은 상처와 얻은
교훈에 다름 아니다. 얽히고설킨 세상만사를 인정하고 받아들인다.
짓무른 상처들이 이성구의 마음 깊숙이 고스란히 전이된다.
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용접봉을 이용한 대부분의 용접조각들이 선묘적인 특징을 보인다면,
수천개의 용접봉을 녹여서 이어나가는 이성구의 용접소조작업은
대단히 직접적이고 과감한 입체드로잉이라 할 수 있다.
작업 특성상 그의 작업은 공격적이다. 재료와 가스와 작가의 호흡이
충돌하며 빚어내는 숨막히는 한바탕 전쟁을 벌인다.
이성구 조각이 여타의 용접조각과 구분되는 점이다.
이렇듯 이성구의 용접조각은 공격성과 긴박감, 직접성이 두드러진다.
용접과정은 속도 싸움이다. 작가의 호흡을 오래토록 기다려주지 않는다.
이성구의 작업은 수많은 시행착오와 경험으로부터 체득한 결과에
다름 아니다. 이성구는 절개된 절단면을 통해 속내를 드러내기도 하고
스스로의 욕망을 거세하기도 하고 또 누군가에 의해 본능과 인간존엄을
거세당하기도 하는 현실을 지적한다.
그것들을 뭉뚱그리며 하나로 통합하고 묶어내고 엮으며 굳고 단단한
표정을 견고하게 부여한다. 탄탄한 기본기와 스스로의 다짐이 있음이다.
-
이성구의 작업에는 기성가치에 도전하는 익명화된 이런저런 사람들과
모나리자, 아그립파 등 역사나 사건 속의 구체적 인물들이 등장한다.
실제 인물을 그대로 제시하기 보다는 부분적으로 드러낸다.
용접소조술로 이들을 성형후 다시 두개골 부분을 절개해내거나
신체의 특정 부분을 절단해서 익명화시켜버린다.
신체가 부분 분리되어 함께 공존하거나 어둠과 희망, 빛과 밝음,
좌절과 욕망, 남성과 여성, 과거와 미래, 기성과 현실, 전통과 현재,
제도와 실제 등 세상에 존재하는 양가적인, 모순된 존재와 욕망을
지적하고 있다. 동전의 양면과도 같은 세태와 감정을 양립시키고 있다.
야누스적인 우리네 욕망을 대리해서 고백하고 있는 것인지도 모른다.
-
이성구의 용접작업은 용접봉으로 그려낸, 엮어낸 세상이야기다.
지지고 볶는 세상사를 용접봉으로 지지고 달래며 자아낸 세상만사다.
연극 같은 무대를 만들고 주인공을 돋을새김으로 올려놓는다.
주인공은 세상으로부터 벗어날 듯, 쫓겨날 듯 간신히 매달려
의탁하고 있다. 불쑥 현재로부터 과거로, 과거로부터 현재로
들어갈 듯, 튀어나올 듯 개입한다.
앗상블라주, 콜라주, 몽타주화된 일종의 이미지 콜레 작업이다.
지져서 일구어낸 표면질감, 즉 마티에르를 따라 들어가며 작가의
호흡을 추체험하는 경험도 특별하다.
수천도가 넘어가는 뜨거움에 몸부림쳤을 고통의 흔적이자 결과다.
불가마 속 도자기를 보듯 그것의 시종을 함께하고 지켜본, 행위를 가한
가해자로서 작가 이성구가 떠오른다.
상처를 가하고 어루만지는 아이러니가 숨어 있다. 그러나 자신을 녹이며
상대에게 스며들어가 상대를 인정하고 받아들이는 새로운 화해와
표정으로 이 모두를 끌어안는다.
-
수많은 용접봉들은 세상에 존재하는 수많은 씨줄과 날줄로 작용한다.
그의 용접술은 이들의 직조가 쉼 없이 일어나는 배틀이다. 작업장은
직조하는 틀이기도 하고 전장이기도하다. 그의 호흡이 가뿐 이유다.
이미 조각과 함께, 용접술과 함께 뜨겁게 융착, 응착되어버린
떼어 놓거나 갈라놓을 수 없는 견고하게 결착된 새로운 형국이다.
그러나 그의 조각은 투각(透刻)과도 같아 보인다. 긴장이 넘치고
일견 답답해 보이기도 하지만, 그 속은 훤히 들여다보인다.
그가 엮어내는 공감 가능한 세상이야기, 속 깊은 이성구의 에피소드를
따라 들어 가보자. 학부시절부터 줄곧 집중해온 용접술에 대한 고집과
자신감이 아낌없이 투여되어 있다.
그의 작업은 당대의 사회문화적 이슈를 추리하며 자신을 걷잡고
다듬는 사유작용이다. 기지(旣知)의 경험과 판단으로부터 벗어나
자신과 세상을 솔직하게 바라보고 존중하려는 의지다.
-
이성구는 조각가답게 드로잉을 많이 한다. 그의 공격적인, 직접적인
용접봉 드로잉 이면에는 탄탄한 연필 드로잉이 있다. 조각가로서의
의지와 용접술이라고 하는 기법과 재료에 대한 물오른 자신감이
작업 구석구석에 묻어난다. 바지런하고 민완(敏腕)한 청년작가다.
창작주체로서 일방적인 행위와 치밀한 계획, 탐색을 전제하기보다는
재료의 성결을 순응하고 존중하는, 그들과 함께 호흡하려는 노력이
빛난다. 마무리를 각각 달리하여 동일 기법과 재료가 선사하는 이질감과
양면성을 고루 경험할 수 있는 이성구의 작업은 용접표면의 흔적을
따라 들어가는 즐거움과 함께 그 이면의 고통과 어둠도 미루어
짐작할 수 있게 한다.
-
답답한 현실로부터 벗어나려는, 혹은 구원의 손길을 애타게
기다리는 인물들의 끝없는 몸부림과 소리 없는 아우성이 메아리친다.
비록 작품의 규모나 형식은 일정 범위 내에서 제한되어 제작, 전시
되지만 용접술에 대한 이성구의 왕성한 의욕이나 용접재료, 용재의
성결을 존중하고 자극하며 빚어낸 극적인 장면들이 인상적이다.
스스로 주체가 되지 못하고 살아지는, 혹은 어떤 존재라도 영원치 못하고
결국 소리 없이 사라질 수 밖에 없는 세상의 이런저런 개연성에 대한
단상을 담았다. 그것은 자신의 현실에 대한 고백이자,
앞으로의 삶에 대한 스스로의 다짐이기도 하다.
이성구의 용접조각은 자신은 물론, 녹록찮은 현실을 살아가는 이 땅의
청장년이 경험하는 희망과 절망의 자기고백이자 비망록이다.
희로애락으로 점철되는 우리네 인생사를 비춰보는 거울에 다름 아닌 것이다.
-
이성구의 작업은 선, 점, 면 순으로 진행된다. 몇몇 선들이 녹아들어
크고 작은, 두껍고 얇은 점을 이루고 그 점들이 하나둘 이어지면서
면을 이룬다. 용접봉과 토치를 통해 풀어내는 작가의 호흡이 구석구석
녹아든다. 그에게 있어 선은, 다름 아닌, 가늘고 기다란 용접봉이다.
이질적인 혹은 같은 종류의 용접봉, 이른바 용재를 맞댄 후
용접봉으로 지진다. 서로가 서로를 녹인다. 식은 후 갈아내거나 잘라낸다.
원하는 이미지를 끄집어 낼 때까지 수 없이 반복한다.
일반 공업용 용접술의 과정과 별반 다를 것이 없다.
이성구 역시 아르곤가스와 토치, 용접봉을 주재료로 사용한다.
이들은 불꽃을 피우며 순식간에 달아오른다. 언제 그랬냐는 듯 빠르게
싸늘하게 식어버린다. 일견 단순해 보인다. 빠르게 변해만가는
현 세태와도 닮았다. 문제는 호흡이다.
이성구가 그들과 하나가 되어야 하는 이유다. 용접과정에 그의 마음마저
녹아들고 있음이다. 용접 완료 후 특정 부위를 화학적 터치로 광을 내며
강조하기도 한다. 일종의 화룡정점이다. 연필 드로잉에서의 지우개처럼
화학용재를 효과적으로 사용해서 방점을 찍는다.
용접의 상처를, 용접봉들의 농을 고스란히 간직하고 있는 나이브한 표정도
이성구 용접술의 관전 포인트다. 시간과 자연의 흐름에 순응하거나
거스르며 반응하는 속내를 숨김없이 드러내고 있기 때문이다.
애써 감추고 포장하기보다는 그냥 현실에 있는 그대로 던져 놓는 균형
있는 배짱도 접할 수 있다.
-
젊은 조각가, 이성구.
특유의 뚝심과 성실함으로 첫개인전의 부담감을 툭툭 털어냈다.
조각가로서, 용접 매니아로서 자신의 존재와 작업을 무리 없이,
당당하게 상장시켰다. 홀대받고 있는 조각에의 변함없는 애정과
특히 용접술의 여전한 비전을 담담히 보여주었다.
조각의 매력에 이어 용접술의 가능성에 흠뻑 젖어 있는
이성구의 다음 작업이 기다려진다.
-
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<Seong-gu Lee's To Exist or To Disappear>
-
Tcheon-nam Park (Chief Curator of Seong-kok Art Museum)
-
Seong-gu Lee works on human body, and that in relief rather
than carving in the round.
Most of his works were done that way. are such.
Naturally pictorial expressions and settings are involved.
His major technique is modeling.
He builds up an ultimate shape adding one by one with
his body and mind as if painting a picture on a white canvas
rather than finding or taking out
a shape of human body by carving it out.
As well known, human body has been not only a subject
but also a motive that has been treated steadily in sculpture.
However, Seong-gu Lee's works are not those made of earth
in conventional modeling method,
in other words, human body created by modeling.
They are not molds, either.
Seong-gu Lee's works are surprisingly made in a modeling
by welding technique.
It is a pure welding modeling work in a unique method,
which starts and finishes the works by welding technique that
is complicated from the first till the end.
This means the constant interest and accurate understanding
of the artist about welding technique,
a direct momentum and production method that
initiated today's contemporary sculpture, is vividly alive.
And those works are possible because
they are backed up by his actual basic skill to command tools and
materials such as gas, welding rod and torch.
-
As such, Seong-gu Lee makes human body modeling and
background works only with welding technique,
which can be thought reckless.
In consideration of the fact that the most of sculptures using
welding technique are metal engraving work that
emphasizes the characteristic of line-drawing or
various formats of abstract work that
charmingly overcomes the vertical instinct of conventional modeling,
his welding modeling work is extremely extraordinary.
Some of Seong-gu Lee's works emphasize an abstract motif
but most of them are representational sculptures, strictly speaking,
welding sculptures with strong feeling of representational expression.
As shown in the materials and technique,
they are comfortable works that give a comfortable feeling with
soft lines and shapes.
He works on human bodies that
he expresses remarkably in a condition of dramatic struggle
of a being who wants to get out of somewhat inconvenient and
painful situation rather than human bodies
in somewhat smooth condition.
It is enough to catch spectators' eye
on the rough surface of his works for a long time,
which has trace of welding work as it were - melting, welding and
adding metal little by little with a welding rod.
-
Seong-gu Lee's human body sculptures
under several specific situations appear in whole body
or emphasizing or eliminating a specific portion of body.
They sometimes seem to exist as an independent image or
speak to the world struggling in a condition confined or
subordinated by something.
They make a wordless cry remaining in a dramatic and
critical situation.
This is a sound of common life as well as a sound of meeting and
struggling by all the beings in the world.
They are plosive sounds or consonant sounds.
On the other hand, they are also a sound of physically bumpering
between welding rods used as raw material,
a sound of fiercely flaming up as a welding rod meets a torch and
a mixed sound of Seong-gu Lee's heavy breathing mixed with
all of these sounds.
Welding rods are overlapped, intersected and bumpered in warp and
woof and finally becomes one,
This is a gesture and a shout for rescue from
this complexively combined world or salvation toward another world.
Such human sculptures created by his welding technique
can be a bitter shout toward the world.
-
Seong-gu Lee has been melting numerous welding rods.
His works are the output of his tenacity that
he melts welding rods and patches them as if building up with clay.
They are the mixtures formed by accumulation of numerous welding
and patching works.
These works have strong representational characteristic,
emphasizing or eliminating trivial human emotion.
They reveal the wild inner side of human being
who becomes wounded and dried as bumpering with the world,
being eliminated of most of his emotion.
They are struggling to try to be born,
exist and escape in their history, tradition, social reality,
real life and relation webs with everything in the world.
This is a struggle in a sticky and unescapable reality
just like falling in a swamp or a trap of all temptations in the world
where people gets fallen deeper as trying to escape.
Then, people just accept the reality on the net of relations,
which is undeniable nor refusable.
It reveals the awareness of reality that
people try to look around himself in an invisible network
between man and society.
-
The human bodies in his works are not intact
but partially cut out or emphasize the cross section.
Hand, foot or head is completely cut out or major parts
are distorted, exaggerated or dispensed.
The existence of human being castrated
in the age of materialism is revealed vividly.
The stiff looks of humans,
cooled down after a fierce process of sparks,
are rather pitiful.
That is a landscape of reality completely and crumbly dried.
The crumble body,
as if stuffed after being drained out all the organic matter
by someone, attracts attention.
It gives a feeling that it was rapidly cooled down and
dried right after being burnt furiously by something.
It reminds some emptiness
just like a fossilized memory or a zombi.
-
The human bodies in Seong-gu Lee's works are
solidly mixed and melted with its background by
welding technique.
The scene expressed by the artist's breath and
welding technique is also a moment of hot meeting and
reconciliation, giving a port of one's own body and
receive the other's part happily.
In these works glows Seong-gu Lee's passion and
explosive emotion that
broadcast scenes of fiercely embracing each other.
It is a process of making and finding out a passionate expression
and a straightforward meeting point.
When the heat and warmth is cooled down,
he watches the process that the looks are changing.
He involves in this work as an assailant and,
at the same time, as a watcher.
It doesn't take long from his break that
he starts again working on adding welding rods one by one
as if stitching.
The knots of emotion are revealed out or even flown over.
It is overlapped with the scenes of a war in fire,
such as the fierce shout coming from all these things,
the artist's breath and the loud noise of a grinder.
-
In the aspect of work process, Seong-gu Lee's work is
in and out of the boundary of reversibility and irreversibility.
The irreversibility that cannot be disobeyed coexists with
a part of reversibility.
Physical displacement,
transformation and conversion are ceaselessly interchanged.
Every worldly desire and distracting thought are
melted into the flame.
Welding rods are melted into it together, too.
It is all mixed and melted in.
It leaves just welding drippings.
It leaves pus as well as scars,
The drippings left behind. Seong-gu Lee's work is
nothing but an intersection and union of welding drippings.
They meet each other as not so pretty
but roughly combined spots and becomes one.
They bear a possibility of another being through
self-sacrifice of melting their own body.
That is nothing but a self-identification of its own being and
a lesson learned from the injuries obtained during struggling
in the world.
It just admits and accepts everything in the world that
are entangled each other.
The wounds festered are completely transferred to
Seong-gu Lee's mind deep inside.
-
While most of welding sculptures using welding rods show
the characteristic of line-drawing,
Seong-gu Lee's welding modeling work that
connects thousands of melted welding rods can be considered
as a direct and daring three-dimensional drawing.
Due to its nature of work, his work is aggressive.
The collisions among raw materials, gas and
artist's breathing make a gust of breathless war.
This is the point that Seong-gu Lee's sculptures are
differentiated from other welding sculptures.
As such, Seong-gu Lee's welding sculptures have
uniqueness by such aggressiveness, tension and immediacy.
Welding process is a fight with speed.
It does not wait for artist's breathing so long.
Seong-gu Lee's works are nothing
but the results obtained from
numerous error-and-trials and experiences.
Seong-gu Lee reveals his thought through cutting planes, castrates
his own desire and points out the reality
where human instinct and dignity are castrated by someone.
He combines and integrates them all into one and
provides a stiff and solid looks.
This shows he has a good basic technique and self-confidence.
-
In Seong-gu Lee's works,
many characters are appearing such as anonymous people
who challenge the conventional values and
substantial characters such as Mona Lisa and Agrippa
in a history or event.
He reveals real characters partially rather than
shows them as they were.
With his welding modeling technique,
he transforms them and even cuts
the scull part or cuts out specific parts of the body
so as to anonymize them.
The work of dismantling and combining
the body points out the double-sided and
contradictory existence and desire that
actually exist in the world such as darkness and hope,
light and brightness, frustration and desire, female and male,
past and future, ideal and reality, tradition and present,
regulation and practice.
It shows two different sides of real life and emotion that
look like a double-sided coin.
He might be making a confession on
behalf of our two-faced desire.
-
Seong-gu Lee's welding works are stories drawn or woven
with welding rods.
They are various world stories welded,
soothed and woven with welding rods.
He prepares a stage like a play and puts a hero or
heroine on it with modeling.
The hero or heroine is barely hanging on as if escaping or
being expelled from the world.
It is involved as if it pops up,
entering from present to past and past to present all of sudden.
It is a kind of image collage work
as assemblage, collage or montage.
Experiencing the artist's breathing by tracing down
the surface texture made by searing, in other words,
matiere, is also special.
It is the trace and result of painful struggle
under thousands degree of temperature.
The artist Seong-gu Lee is imagined as a watcher
who watched all these process like watching porcelains
in a kiln and as well as an assailant who made such behaviors.
There hides an irony that he makes an injury and soothes it.
But the works melt themselves and seeps into others so that
they embrace all these with a new look of reconciliation that
admits and accepts the others.
-
Numerous welding rods are acting as a lot of warp and
woof that exist in the world.
His welding technique is a battle where such weaving is
ceaselessly occurring.
His work place is both a weaving frame and a battle field.
This is why he is out of breath.
It is a new phase that it is already integrated and
melted hot together with sculpture through
his welding technique so that they cannot be separated or divided.
But his sculptures look like bratticing.
Although looking too mush tension and somewhat stuffy,
their inside can be seen through.
Let's go into the sympathetic stories that
Seong-gu Lee makes and his episodes.
His stubbornness and confidence on welding technique that
he has been concentrating on since his undergraduate study are
reflected thoroughly.
His works are thinking behaviors that
infer the contemporary social and cultural issues and
shape himself.
It is a will to watch and respect himself and
the world more straightforward beyond already-known
experience and judgments.
-
Seong-gu Lee makes a lot of drawings
as much as he is a sculptor.
On the backside of his aggressive and
straightforward welding rod drawings,
there exist his solid pencil drawings.
His will as a sculptor and
his full confidence on welding technique and
matiere can be found in every inch of his works.
He is a diligent and able young artist.
It is remarkable that he makes efforts to adopt over
the property of raw materials and breath with them
as a creator rather than
to make prior one-directional behavior and establish
a careful plan including prior exploration.
Seong-gu Lee's works,
from which different feelings and double-sideness
can be experienced out of same material and
technique through different finishing,
can give pleasure along the trace of welding surface
as well as agony and darkness on the backside.
-
His works are full of endless struggle and
soundless shout of the characters
who want to escape from a stuffy reality or
desperately wait for salvation.
Even though his works are created and
exhibited within the restriction of size and format,
Seong-gu Lee's vigorous will for welding technique and
the dramatic scenes made by respecting and
stimulating the property of raw materials is quite impressive.
They contain an essay about various probabilities that
people are lived without being a subject of their own self or,
whatever they are, they cannot exist forever and
will disappear silently after all.
It is not only a confession about their own reality
but also a self-resolution about their future life.
Seong-gu Lee's welding sculptures are
not only the self-confession of hope and despair
but also the memorandum for himself as well as other young adults
who are living in this tough world.
They are mirrors that reflect our life affairs filled with
delights, difficulties and pleasures.
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Seong-gu Lee's works are made in the order of line, dot and face.
Several lines are melted into and
form big or small, thick or thin dots, and
those dots are linked together and form a face.
The artist's breathing to make it out through welding rod and
torch is melted into everywhere in the works.
For him, a line is a thin and long welding rod.
He puts raw material, different or same kinds of welding rods and
sears them with welding rods, melting each other.
After they are cooled down,
he grinds and cuts them repeatedly until the wanted image is obtained.
This technique is little different from industry's welding technique.
Seong-gu Lee also uses argon gas, torch and
welding rod as the major materials.
These are heated with flame very quickly
but also cooled down so quickly.
It looks quite simple.
It is quite similar to current social conditions that
vary so quickly.
The problem is breathing.
This is why Seong-gu Lee should become one with them.
In the welding process, even his mind is melted into them.
After welding, some specific parts can be stressed by polishing with
chemical touch.
It is, so to speak, a coup-de-grace.
Just like eraser in pencil drawing, dots are
created using some chemical solution efficiently.
The scars of welding work and the naive looks,
that keeps the drippings of welding rods as they were.
become points to be observed
because they reveal their inner thoughts by
adopting or refusing the flow of time and nature.
His courage to throw the facts as they were rather than
hiding or packaging them can be recognized.
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A young sculptor Seong-gu Lee relieved
the pressure of his first private exhibition with
his unique perseverance and sincereness.
As a sculptor and a welding mania,
he put his existence and works on public confidently.
He showed plainly his unchanged passion on sculpture that
is getting poor treatment and especially
his on-going vision for welding technique.
Eagerly looking for the next works of Seong-gu Lee
who is in love with sculpture and
the possibility of welding technique.
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