DONGI LEE Conversation with Art Critic Ryu Byeonghak

by Dongi Lee, Ryu Byeonghak, Martian Story (Editor)

The art catalogue DONGI LEE - Conversation with Art Critic Ryu Byeonghak introduces the artistic landscape of the artist who has consistently been investigating the relationship between popular culture and art since the 1990’s. As one of the first generation Korean pop artists, Lee has maintained a particular interest in images of American, Korean, and Japanese popular culture for the last thirty years, creating works that are rooted in pop culture by directly bringing conventional forms of modern society on to his canvas. He addresses the various realities of modern society but he doesn’t stop at pointing them out in a single dimensional way, but has been adopting a wide variety of visual and philosophical elements, from comics, advertisements, the internet, all the way to classical works, modernism paintings, and abstract art, depicting in form the way these factors come together as complex layers within society in his paintings. The collection of works catalogue curated and produced by the PIBI GALLERY is centered on a conversation between Lee and art critic Ryu Byeonghak, presenting a comprehensive narrative about the artistic realm of Lee as well as the colorful thoughts and materials derived from his works, covering the story behind the creation and development process of his representative character “Atomaus”; “Double Vision,” that have Atomaus together with abstract paintings; the “Abstract Painting” series that are all-over abstract works filled with elements of expressionism; the “Soap Opera,” works showing captured moments of Korean dramas shown overseas that have been transferred to canvas; and “Eclecticism,” a series of layered painting of sorts that have the familiar yet unfamiliar elements of popular and sub-culture clash and overlap with each other.

Library Binding

Published December 1, 2019