Leenam Lee

Introduction of the artist

 

Leenam Lee’s work has been rooted in the motif of famous paintings in Eastern and Western classics. Recently, it seems that his work is expanding beyond just aesthetic sensibility to more macro perspectives such as war, social conflict, and the coexistence of nature and humans. In particular, one of the characteristics of his work is the animation technique that allows the materials (scenery, clouds, flowers, figures, weapons, etc.) in the painting to move as if they are alive regardless of the theme.

Lee originally majored in sculpture. However, after entering the field of video works with clay animation using rubber clay in 2000, he started media artwork using famous paintings in 2006. It was meaningful that he played a significant role in confirming that media art, which had mostly relied on TV or main computer until then, can be embodied even in an off-the-shelf frame format. In addition, he has proved that how differentiated and unique originality can be distinguished from conventional paintings when LEDs are used as art materials. Lee’s works are considered an example of pioneering a new genre called ‘video painting’ by subtly crossing the boundary between video and painting in terms of installation method or composition of the content.

Lee's works are completely fictional videos that are created in order to feel fictional world as if it is real. Only a few minutes or even tens of seconds of video give more than hours of lingering impression and pleasant stimulation. It is because of its very meticulous and well-organized composition. On top of that, humor that induces interest and aesthetics of mixing or convergence were added. Lee Lee-Nam completes his own way of narratives by adding a unique sense and modern perspective to the motif, which would have been dismissed as an insignificant classic painting. It is noteworthy that his intuitive point of view is more popular in the West beyond the East.

LEENAM LEE (b. 1969)

 

Education

2017

DFA in graduated Fine Arts, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea

2011

Completed DFA courses Graduate School of Communication & Arts, Yonsei University, seoul, Korea

1997

Master of Art, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea

1995

BFA in Sculpture, Chosun University, Gwangju, Korea

 

Awards

2021

14th 2020 A.N.D Award(Award for New Digital Award) Digital Media&Service/Digital Contents sector Grand Prix Award

1st ARTKOREA-TV Artist of the Year Award in Media

2018

7th ‘Seoul Good Light Award’ Media Façade contents division a grand prize winner

2017

The 3rd  NanjingInternational Art Festival Best Artist Award & Audience Award

2010

22 th Sun Gallery Art Award

2009

Yong Artist of the Year Award from The Korean Artist's Day

2005

Artist of the Year Award Grand Prize

Yong Artist of the Year Award from Gwangju Museum of Art

Gwangju Shinsegae Art Competition Grand Prize

2002

The 8th Gwangju ART Prize

Selected as a Ha Jung-woong Artist

 

Solo Exhibitions (about 80 times)

2022

Shine like stars forever and ever (gallery Now, Seoul)

LEE LEE NAM Media art Exhibition “2022 Hwaseong  Odysseia” (Hwaseong ACT ground)

2021

The 30th Korea-Latvia diplomatic relations anniversary 'LEE LEE NAM : The Rising of Roots (Embassy of Latvia in Korea, Riga, Latvia)

Jeonnam International SUMUK Biennale Special Exhibiton ‘LEE LEE NAM, Consolation of Life (Hampyeong Museum of Art, Hampyeong-gun, Jeollanam-do)

The Breath of Life (Savina museum,Seoul)

The Signal of Light : LEE LEE NAM  (Madrid Serreria Belga external façade, Madrid, Spain)

LeeLeeNam:Signal of Light (LIBRARY OF THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN – ELBASY, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan)

120 Years of Diplomatic Relations Between the Republic of Korea and the Kingdom of Belgium Media art Exhibition (Korean Cultural Center Brussels, Brussels, Belgium)

2020

He’s been here...Postmodern Aura In Lee Lee Nam (Metaphysical Gallery, Taiwan)

2019

Lee Lee Nam, Encounter of Light (Seoul Botanic Park, Seoul, Korea)

2018

A Path to Peace (Mars Media art center, Moscow, Russia)

2016

UPDATE 6 (ZEBRASTRAAT Museum, Gent, Belgium)

The Lights Of Signal (Whitebox museum, Beijing, china)

At the rising of the roots (Ando Fine Art Gallery, Bellin, Germany)

lee lee nam’s ‘Good morning Digital’ (jeorgetown festival, penang, Malaysia)

2015

Good night Analog Good morning Digital (The Korea society gallery, New York, USA)

Kigali National Holiday Exhibition (Embassy of the Republic of Korea to the Republic of Rwanda)

2014

Reborn Light (Gana Art Center, Seoul, Korea)

2013

Good night Analog Good morning Digital (Kwai Fun Hin Art Gallery, Hong Kong,  China / Artmia Gallery, Beijing, China)

2012

Goodnight Analog Good morning Digital (Gwangju museum of art, Korea)

Korean Eye Exhibition in New York Design Center, New York, USA)

A Conversation between Monet and Sochi (Kalamazoo Museum of Art, Michigan, USA)

2011

Les Peintures Vivantes (Artcenter Nabi, Seoul, Korea)

 

Selected Group Exhibitions (about 800 times)

2022

Gwangju Museum of Art-Our Step, Our Hope (Art space San Antonio, USA)

The Moment We Encounter (Suwon Museum of Art, Suwon)

Fission - Globalization Wave of Digital Art (Guizhou Museum, Guizhou, China)

Sympathy : Looking at Korean Contemporary Art (Yewoon gallery, KOREAN CULTURAL CENTER, Beijing, China)

One Inspiration : The Hangeul that Yoon Dongjoo loved (Ministry of Korean Cultural Center, Budapest, Hungary)

Nam June Paik, LEE LEE NAM : IN PROGRESS (DAEJEON SHINSEGAEGALLERY, Daejeon)

2021

Bright New World : In Radiance and Splendor (Cheongju Museum of Art, Cheongju)

The form observation note expressing the thing of the artist (The Jeju Province Art Museum, Jeju- do)

Women`s march (Osan museum of art, Osan)

Border Crossings. North and South Korean Art from the Sigg Collection (Bern Kunstmuseum, Switzerland)

Exhibition in celebration of the Opening of Jeonnam Museum of art ‘Beneath the Mountain, Along the Water’ (Jeonnam Museum of art, Gwanyang, Jeollanam-do)

2020

ONE INSPIRATION –The Very First Ideas from Korean Tradition and Culture (The Royal Lazienki Museum, Poland)

2020 MUSEUM WEEK (Gwanghwamun, seoul)     

UNESCO-KOREA Building Peace Together for 70Years  (National Museum of Korean Contemporary History / Korean National Commission for UNESCO, Seoul)

2019

LG Electronics Inc. X LEE LEE NAM Collaboration ‘ISE(IntergratedSystemsEvents)’ (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Film & Arts, ‘Rise of Roots’ (Starr cinema, Tate Modern Museum, London, UK)

Korean Video Art From 1970s To 1990s : Time Image Apparatus (The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea)      

Special Exhibition of ‘Ink Spirit’ (Jeonbuk Museum of Art, Jeollabuk-do Wanju)

Suwon Hwaseong Project 2019 ‘SEONG:Fantastic City (Suwon Ipark Museum of Art, Gyeonggi-do, Suwon)

Hanguk-Hwa, Mindful Landscape (Dajeon Museum of Art, Dajeon)        

Into the Light (HTC CORPORATION Tipei, TAaiwan)

2018

Inter-Korean Summit Exhibition ‘Peace a New Future’ (Panmunjeom-Joint Security Area, Paju, Korea)  

Media Art Exhibition for NAM JUNE PAIK & LEENAM LEE (KAIST, Daejeon, Korea)

Survivances (Cernuschi Museum, Paris, France)

Mind Temple (MoCA shanghai, China)

Beyond the Horizon (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

Sarajevo Winter Festival 2018 (Sarajevo, Bosnia Herzegovina)

2017

Istanbul Biennale Special Exhibition ‘taste of tea’ (Haydrapasa Railway Station, Istanbul)

Homage or Options space, Old Academy of Fine Arts, Academy of Design, Russia Cyberfest (St. Petersburg, Russia)

The 3rd Nanjing International Art Festival 'Historicode:Scarcity and Supply' (Baijia Lake Museum, Nanjing, China)

It’s a wonderful digital life! (EDF, Paris, France)

Moving KOREA Exhibition (KCC Philippines, Philippines)

2016

BILL VIOLA-LEE LEE NAM (Saint-Jacobaskerk, Gent, Belgium)

Busan Biennale ‘Hybridizing earth- Google Arts & culture’ (F1963, Busan, Korea)

Gardens Of The World (Museum Rietberg, Zurich, Switzerland)

MOTHER-OF-PEARL LACQUERWARE FROM KOREA (Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, USA)

good morning digital (Jeorgetown festival, penang, Malaysia)

Höhenrausch (Thrill of Heights)–Other Angels, OÖ Kulturquartier (Energie AG, Linz, Austria)

Please Return to Busan Port (Vestfossen Museum, Vernissage, Norway)

Ningbo International Contemporary Art Exhibition (ningbo, china)

2015

2015 Venice Biennale Special Exhibition ‘PERSONAL STRUCTURE’ (Palazzo Bembo, Venice, Italy)

Flowers to Forest (The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, USA)

Have a Good Day, Mr.Kim! (Michael Horbach Foundation, Germany)

Singapore Open Media Art Festival 2015 (Gillman Barracks, Singapore)

Hokkaido, Korea Art Exchange Exhibition (Continental Gallery, Sapporo, Japan)

2014

START ART (Saatchi Gallery, London, UK)

Simultaneous Echoes (Fortabat Museum, Argentina)

Hello, Chosun’s Art Masters (Brisbane, Australia)

Heritage, Legacy and Light (UNESCO IN PARIS, France)

2013

All about Korea (White Box, Munich, Germany)

AMMA UMMA! (India International Centre, New Deli, India)

Korean-Indonesian Artists Exchange Exhibition (Jakarta, Indonesia)

‘Creative vision’ The Smithsonian Institution (Washington D.C., USA)

A Soldier's Tale (60 years of memories, 130 years of friendship) (London Asia house, UK)

Korean Contemporary (Schultz Contemporary, Berlin, Germany

2012

Mudeung myths(Today Art Museum, Beijing, China)

Henan, Zhengzhou, China

The Special Exhibition of Arts Council Korea 'Re Booting' (Yan Haung Art Museum, China)

2011

Chengdu Biennale (East Chendu-Music Park, Qingdao, China)

Kobe Biennial (Meriken Park, Kobe, Japan)

2009

Tea Culture Invitation Exhibition (Yale University Art Gallery, Connecticut, USA)

Korean Eye: Moon Generation (The Saatchi Gallery, London, UK)

The 3rd Moscow Biennale : Against Exclusion (Moscow, Russia)

2008

Korean Contemporary Art Show (Singapore Art Museum, Singapore)

3th Biennale Sevilla (Alhambra palace, Granada, Spain)

2007

New Asian Waves (ZKM, Karlsruhe, Germany) etc.

 

Biennale

2022

 

2021

2021 Korean International Ceramic Biennale-Gwangju Special Exhibition 'Cobalt Blue: Ceramics favored by Joseon Scholars' (Gyeonggi Ceramic Museum, Gyeonggi-do Gwangju)

Gwangju Biennale ‘D`Revolution’ (Gwangju Biennale Center, Gwangju, Korea)

Jeonnam International SUMUK Biennale ‘Splendor of Monochrome’ (Mokpo Culture & Arts Center, Mok-po, Jeollanam-do)

Gangwon Traditional Triennales 2021 ‘Warm Revitalization (Hong cheon-gun, Gangwon-do)

2019

Gimhae Biennale 2019 (Gimhae, Korea)

Triennale Brugge 2019

Hasselt Triennale

2018

Jeonnam International SUMUK Biennale 2018, mokpo, Korea / Korean culture center Shanghai, China)

Gwangju Biennale ‘Imagined Borders’ (Gwangju, Korea)

‘The Balance of non-sculpting’ Changwon Sculpture Biennale (Changwon, Korea)

2017

Istanbul Biennale

Gwangju Design Biennale

Saint Petersburg, Russia

2016

Busan Biennale (F1963, Busan, Korea)

2015

Imaging Place, willoughby visual art biennale (willoughby, Austraila)

‘Personal Structures - Crossing Borders’ Venice Biennale (Palazzo Mora, Italy)

Gwangju Design Biennale 2015 (Gwangju, Korea)

2013

Kobe Biennial (Kobe, Japan)

2012

Busan Biennale (Busan, Korea)

2011

Chengdu Biennale (East Chendu-Music Park, Qingdao, China)

Kobe Biennial (Meriken Park, Kobe, Japan)

2010

1st Biennale of Nanjing (Nanjing, China)

2009

The 3rd Moskva Biennale (Moscow, Russia)

The 3rd Gwangju Design Biennale ‘The Clue’ (Gwangju Biennale Center, Gwangju, Korea)

2008

The 3rd Sevilla Biennale (Alhambra, Granada, Spain)

2007

The 2nd Gwangju Design Bisnnale ‘L.I.G.H.T’ (Kim Dae jung Convention Center, Gwangju, Korea)

Pocheon-Asia Biennale (Pocheon Banweol Art Hall, Pocheon, korea)

2006

Seoul international Media Art Biennale (Seoul, Korea)

The 6th Gwangju Biennale Special Exhibition ‘Art Orchaestra’ (Gwangju Meseum of Art, Gwangju, Korea)

1997~2002 The 2rd, The 3rd, The 4th Gwangju Biennale (Gwangju Biennale Center, Gwangju, Korea)

 

Collections

Thoma Art Foundation(USA), Zebrastraat museum(Ghent, Belgium), Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (San Francisco, USA), Sotheby`s(Hong Kong), Yale University(Connecticut, USA), Harn Museum of Art (University of Florida, USA), Suning Art Museum(China), Permanent Mission of the Republic of Korea to the UN (New York, USA), UN Headquarters(New York, USA), Embassy of Korea in America(Washington, USA), Bund18 Creative Center (Shanghai, China), Uly sigg Collection (Luzern, Switzerland), Barn Joo (New York, USA), Hungary culutral Center (Hungar), Australia Culture Center (Australia), Korean Cultural Center China(Beijing, China), Colección Solo(Madrid, Spain), National Museum of Korea, National Library of Korea, Cheong Wa Dae, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul Botanic park, The Museum of Photography, Pohang Museum of Steel Art, Busan Museum of Art, Gwangju Museum of art, Jeonnam Museum of art, Jeju Museum of Contemporary Art, etc.