Last month, a friend and I attended an artist's solo art exhibition in La Jolla (San Diego), California. I received the opportunity to meet Yim Choon
Lee, a South Korean contemporary artist still gaining exposure to the world today. In
the short time I spent walking around gazing at the artwork and admiring the
mind of the artist, I was surprised more than once or twice. I visited art galleries in the past, but
never attended a special artist reception with the artist present. This was a first.
[Disclaimer: I do not have a professional background in art. I am only the lay viewer of art that on rare occasion peruses a gallery with fairly complex art designs and themes.]
As I entered
the Salazaar Contemporary Gallery, the location of the exhibition in La Jolla,
I found myself walking into a small crowd of art lovers, photographers, and gallery
owners. It was a classy event with
wine readily available to sip on to enhance your viewing experience. I was immediately drawn to the left where I
saw a blue piece of art. The piece had an open space with large sections along
the side and one in the center full of intricate designs behind what appeared
to be twisted pieces on the canvas. Upon
closer viewing, I found painted Chinese characters and other unique designs
along the twists.
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| Small section of the art piece. Notice the twists and detailed paint. |
What I
observed was the result of the Yim Choon Lee’s process, “Tearing Art.” He paints both sides of a canvas. On one side, Korean traditional papers are
placed on the surface and painted over, creating a total of three surfaces.
Then, the linen on one side is cut to reveal the backside. The pieces are torn
and folded to create an elaborate, beautiful piece of art.
His information page and website as quoted says:
“Three surfaces of the painting represent the past (traditional paper surface), present (back of canvas linen), and future (front of canvas linen). In tearing art, one painting glues together past, present and future in three dimension.”
I continued
to move around the room thinking about my own past and present glued to and molding my future, as I admired each of the pieces of art. The art was amazing
in all of its three-dimensional forms. This is art I could observe with multiple
senses. I stepped back to see the piece and feel the presence of the work as I
soaked in the colors and design. Later, I moved in closer while I envisioned
(no, I did not touch) following the twisted pieces with my finger. I imagined hearing the artist tearing and folding
the pieces of linen in a studio in his home. I was enamored by the simple yet
complex works - some happened to be only black and white. [You can see them on
the website. Photo not posted here.] Moving towards the back of the room, I
viewed more complex pieces with very vibrant shades of color.
 |
| Viewed from a different perspective. The colors move from lighter to darker on the far end. |
Eventually, I
met Katherine Kim, Yim Choon Lee’s agent. She was busy making her rounds meeting
other important people. Despite being
busy with potential buyers and viewers, she still stopped to speak with me. I
was greeted with her bubbly nature, a gentle touch and lots of enthusiasm. She began to take me to some of his bigger
works and answer a few of my questions. Eager
to meet the artist himself, she brought me to Yim Choon Lee, where he also
warmly welcomed me with a large grin as he showed off some of his art. I
greeted him in Korean, though he was shy to reply and speak in English. Our
brief communication was powerful nonetheless. I immediately felt comfortable
and close to Yim Choon Lee and his agent, Katherine Kim. While looking at one piece, Yim approached me with his large grin and what felt like the innocence of a proud child, motioning me to follow him. He pointed to the detailed twists of
his blue painting saying, “these Chinese characters. Painted.” It made me smile. The artist certainly has a lot
to be proud of.
 |
| Surface details. |
As I viewed
the art and spoke with Katherine, I was even more surprised to
learn that the artist is a police officer by day. By night, he uncovers the artist within. He has
a college education and studied in Taiwan during his younger years. Katherine proudly
mentions his many talents. Does Yim ever
sleep?
Where did
this brilliant man get the time and inspiration to do his work? Yim Choon Lee, born
in 1965 on Geoje Island where he still lives today, comes from several generations
of Korean traditional bamboo and paper artists.
As a child, he traveled with his father throughout the beautiful
countryside collecting bamboo for his father’s art. Katherine shared that his
experience learning the bamboo techniques and viewing the beautiful country as
a child were a large inspiration and influence for his artwork today. Observing
the colors and twists, I can see many elements of bamboo and nature forming
images in my head.
My mind was
baffled by his work.
I looked
around some more and returned to the artist, asking him to name his favorite
piece. He likes them all, but points to the Black Hole piece and names the
Black Hole series [four paintings] his favorite. As seen on the artist statement of “Destruction
and Creation,” Yim creates new art by destroying the canvas. New social norms
are created by changing the old social idioms. He beautifully bridges the gap from traditional
to more contemporary art.
“Black Hole series portrays the human heart’s desire to express itself independently from societal references. As a policeman in Korea, I have seen life and death circumstances which could have evolved differently. If these victims were allowed to express their feelings of frustration and overwhelming circumstances, they would not need to end their precious life.”- from the Artist Statement Page.
 |
| Black Hole (1 in the series of four pieces) |
Many people
can identify with this art. The human
heart in all its complexity desires to be known and expressed in some
form. Take a peek at the art yourself
and enjoy the “awe” moment as you let the art help you dive deep into your own
soul. What feelings and emotions stir in you? As I think about my internship year in San Diego soon drawing to a close, I begin to process the past and present as I prepare for the future.
So, what if you decide you want to see the art? Where can
you catch some of Yim Choon Lee’s work? You
can view his art at his coming exhibition in Seoul, South Korea in September. After observation, I presume you will
be interested in meeting the artist and seeing it up close yourself. Yim is still a newer artist and has only held exhibitions in Istanbul, Florida, and South Korea. Feel free to spread the word about his work and check out his next exhibition. You won't regret it.
You will
find the exhibit in the Insadong region of Seoul. Insadong is known for its
cute shops, art, craftsmen, traditional goods, and souvenirs. It has a
traditional feel enjoyed by both native Koreans and foreigners. The art lover
is sure to find him or herself in Insadong on trip to Seoul. Subway stations near Insadong are Jonggak
Station (Line 1), Jongno 3-ga Station (Line 1, Line 3, Line 5), and Anguk
Station also serviced by Line 3.
You also have a few weeks left to view it in San Diego. The exhibition gained so much attention and interest that the gallery extended the exhibition through August. If you're in San Diego or La Jolla, please stop by and take a look. You can see it at:
Salazar Fine-Art Gallery
1162 Prospect
La Jolla, CA 92037
(858) 551 - 8453
Here are the friendly faces!
 |
| The artist: Yim Choon Lee, The Business Manger/Agent: Katherine Kim |
Thank you for sharing your art and introducing yourself to us, Yim. Katherine, thank you for playing a large part in sharing Yim's "Tearing Art" with the world. You have opened my eyes to a new world of art.
~~~~~~
Sources:
Site: http://yimchoonlee.com/
including the Artist's Statement
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/yimchoon.lee
Lee's Agent: Katherine Kim.
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