[COLOGNE] Red Sansu: A Landscape Within: Sea Hyun Lee

Sea Hyun Lee’s solo exhibition ‘Red Sansu: A Landscape Within’

5 April – 30 April 2024

Opening reception: Friday, 5 April 2024 6-9 pm, Michael Horbach Stiftung, Exhibition Hall 1 (Wormser Str. 23, 50677 Köln)

Sea Hyun Lee’s solo exhibition ‘Red Sansu: A Landscape Within’, presenting a series of Lee’s red landscape (sansu: 산수, landscape) paintings,  will be held at the Michael Horbach Foundation in Cologne, Germany. This exhibition is a sequential series, following the solo exhibition held in Berlin, Germany, last March. The exhibition is curated by the CHOI&CHOI Gallery.

Sea Hyun Lee's red landscapes originated during his time serving in the military, where he observed the scenery along the border between South and North Korea. They have evolved into unique depictions of landscapes that convey both the beauty and the inherent anxiety, danger, and sadness that stem from the country’s division. As the artist encountered various events and societal changes over time, he began incorporating his observations in his work, delving further into the fundamental issues of human life and death. Lee remarks, "All landscapes are connected to human life. They represent places where someone has lived, currently lives, or desires to live. They form an integral part of the lives of the Korean people, coexisting with individuals who endure ongoing transformations" When discussing Utopian landscapes, the artist explains, "Utopia finds its expression in the beauty of nature, memories of one's childhood hometown, and landscapes. But it is ultimately reinterpreted by its own destruction and disappearance, or through the tragedy of separation. This ambivalence allows for the simultaneous depiction of the Utopian and the Dystopian."

Germany has experienced a prolonged period of division similar to Korea’s and has endured considerable hardships during the reunification process. The issue of division is a matter that constantly occupies the thoughts of the German people, whether consciously or subconsciously. The red landscapes featured in this solo exhibition provides German visitors with a unique opportunity to cultivate a profound understanding and empathy for the history and society of another nation. Sea Hyun Lee remarks, "Red carries diverse meanings in many cultures. I appreciate and respect the varied emotions and interpretations it evokes from individuals. Ultimately, the symbolism of red is determined by the viewer. While there are certainly cultural differences between cultures, there are also shared interests among humanity. Ultimately, the questions around the essence of beauty, happiness, sadness, pain, life, and death are universal themes that transcend these differences and require collective contemplation by humanity." In essence, Sea Hyun Lee's red landscapes enable us to discover common ground and foster mutual understanding of one another.

Sea Hyun Lee (b. 1967, Korean) earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Hongik University in Seoul in 1989, a Master of Fine Arts from Hongik Univeristy’s graduate school in 2001, and a Master of Fine Arts from Chelsea College of Art and Design in London in 2006. Lee's works can be found in prominent collections including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul; Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul; Uli Sigg Collection, Zurich; and Gerhard Schröder Collection, Berlin. Building upon his past group exhibitions, such as the ones held at Tate Britain in London, UK (2007); Bochum Art Museum in Bochum, Germany (2010); Michael Horbach Foundation in Cologne, Germany (2015); Vestfossen Museum in Vestfossen, Norway (2016); Bern Art Museum in Bern, Switzerland (2021); as well as his recent solo exhibition at Foundation Kunsthall 3, 14 in Bergen, Norway (2021), this exhibition serves as another milestone, further introducing Lee's artistic practice to European audiences.