Deep Breath Carved by Mulberry Paper and Mineral Pigments: Artist Lee Hae-kyung's Solo Exhibition 'Green Lyricism'

Artist Lee Hae-kyung, who has pioneered a unique horizon in contemporary Korean colored painting, is holding her first solo exhibition in seven years.

Korean colored painting is our unique painting tradition that began with Goguryeo tomb murals and continued through Shin Saimdang's paintings of plants and insects (chochungdo) during the Joseon Dynasty, developing on the foundation of meticulous nature observation and an aesthetic of respecting life.

Entering the 20th century, painter Chun Kyung-ja achieved a modern transformation through intense colors and symbolic expression, and now, on Lee Hae-kyung's canvases, it is blossoming once again as contemporary colored painting imbued with the deep vitality and lyricism of nature.


The artist's signature series, 'Green Lyricism', goes beyond merely reproducing natural landscapes objectively.

It involves a meticulous and endurance-testing process of repeatedly applying mineral pigments (seokchae) and powdered pigments (bunchae) onto jangji, a thick traditional Korean mulberry paper.

The deep and cozy color fields formed by layers upon layers of countless brushstrokes allow viewers to experience emotional healing and high-density emotional contemplation within the hues of green and the vitality of plants.

Her works, themed around various wildflowers from Korean mountains and fields, serve as a lyrical plastic language that captures the aesthetic world she pursues and her immanent discourse on life.

She has been praised for revealing insights into life through nature using her signature painting technique acquired over a long period, and for reinterpreting the inherent ideology and lyricism of traditional Korean painting with a contemporary sensibility.

Going beyond the inheritance of tradition, she is also leaving a clear mark on the history of Korean art by newly presenting the contemporary potential of Korean painting.

This exhibition is drawing expectations as an opportunity to witness the essence of the deep, elegant tradition and contemporary plastic beauty of Korean colored painting all in one place.

The exhibition runs through the 30th at Gallery Gaia Busan.


※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.