By Ines Min
Staff reporter
Massive structures with dainty curves, hollow yet durable. These sculptures, almost ghostly in appearance, are the works of Lee Gil-rae. His seventh solo exhibition, "Pine Tree: Building Form," opens Wednesday in Seoul.
Though installed across several venues, the main exhibition will be held inside the Savina Museum of Contemporary Art, with 21 sculptures and 21 drawings by the artist. The gardens of the Seoul Arts Center will showcase eight large sculptures.
Lee's method of creation is to cut the copper pipes at even intervals, creating a series of rings that he then hammers into an ovular shape. Afterward, he welds the pieces together to form his elaborate structures.
Using up to thousands of copper rings, the 49-year-old is able to simulate the texture of pine tree bark with his meticulous work. Though he specializes in manmade materials, he is able to imitate the aura of nature accurately, from its angular branches to strong, gnarled trunks.
"Copper is warm while stainless steel feels cold," Lee said at a press open Tuesday. "You can transform it into a large diversity of shapes. In that way, it's a lot more human than other metals."
As human as the metal is, the artist's structures have a quality that is simultaneously ethereal and brooding. While the dark of the corroded copper is a shocking contrast to its environment ― particularly in the gardens, which are obstinately grounded in early summer ― the transparent quality of the netted material exudes the transitory feel.
Sculptures like "Curved Pine Tree 1" also feature trunks that have been cut, which incites an underlying sense of loss. The sudden halt of the line feels like a missing limb; observers feel certain that there was something there, not but a moment before. The overall effect is one of an imposing, yet benign artwork that leaves one unsettled, though not in a negative way.
As surreal as the sublime structures can feel at times, Lee makes sure to be disciplined and direct in his work methods. Having used the same welding machine for the past 20 years, his work is based in stability and routine. His skill for exacting detail allows him to even add pine needles to some of the trees.
The second floor displays the artist's drawings, adding an extra dimension to the exhibition. The sculptures themselves can seem 2D-like at certain angles, because of the monochrome and evenhanded contrast against the environment, but visitors are reminded that they are, in fact, already once removed from the flatness of the paper. The trees, like oversized imprints of mother nature's ghosts, are sure to stay in the viewer's mind.
"Pine Tree, Building Form" opens June 9 at the Savina Museum of Contemporary Art and at the gardens of the Seoul Arts Center. The exhibition will run through July 10. For more information visit www.savinamuseum.com.