Kukje Gallery is pleased to present Touch, Lee Kwang-Ho’s first solo exhibition at this venue. As one of Korea’s most prominent realist artists, Lee displays his technical and pictorial mastery with the ability to meticulously combine elements of the real and the abstract.

Lee’s early works were inspired by Pop Art, influenced by the Renaissance perspective, and Surrealism, and have now developed into his own unique and personal interpretation of modern realism. A thorough investigation of his works provides the viewer an opportunity to fully appreciate the depth and versatility of Lee’s artistry and vision.

Lee Kwang-Ho’s most recent works on view can be seen as an extension of his previous projects such as Inter-View, in which Lee attempted to reproduce the memories of one hundred models that the artist personally knew by conducting extensive interviews with each of them.

In creating the new Cactus and Landscape series, Lee has experimented with various techniques such as scratching, rubbing of the paintbrush, and tapping on the canvas whilst enlarging the subject to its extreme to make the cactus seem like a type of abstraction. As a result, the small cacti can appear animal-like, rouse a unique phallic aura, and be reminiscent of a monument or even a model from the Inter-View series.

In contrast, the Landscape series deals with empty spaces found in nature. Lee presents us with familiar open spaces consisting of woods and forests, skies and movement of the wind. The landscapes are not particularly beautiful or nostalgic but upon closer observation, the depicted subjects actually disappear, revealing only a layer of paint comprised of countless, precise brushstrokes, and markings of a meticulous knife work. In the end, the abstract surface of the Landscape series is actually quite similar to that of the Cactus paintings. The artist has attempted to create not only a realistic transfer of the subject onto the canvas but to investigate the fundamental question of painting – the act of painting itself.

This solo exhibition has two years in its making and will run at Kukje Gallery from April 15 to May 16.