Maria Kim, sayart2022@gmail.com
Jason Yim, Yimjongho1969@gmail.com
On a small ridge in Jipyeong-myeon, Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi-do, there is a gallery of sculptor Lee Jae-hyo. This is his workshop and a permanent exhibition hall, consisting of five exhibition halls, a coffee shop, and workshops, so to speak, his castle.
Although the exhibition space is divided, his works are displayed in all spaces inside and outside his castle. Rather, it is better to say that the entire castle is his work. Because there is no place in this castle that has not passed through his hands.
The subjects of his works are objects settled in memory. The sphere hanging from the ceiling of his friend's house when he was young and the cleaning tools he saw in a bathroom in Busan that his 7-year-old mother followed became his works.
He explained that the reason why things have so much meaning is that many things cannot be remembered, but special things are remembered for a long time.
On the 29th, visitors from far away were entering his exhibition hall one after another.
What is unusual is that his works do not have titles. Moreover, there was not even a description of the work. As for the reason, he said, “A work of art doesn’t need to be explained too much. The audience should feel it as it is. A title or descriptive text can limit that feeling of the audience,” he explained.
“The number of tools I use is more than the number of words I use. I don't think it's right to express a work of art that can give infinite imagination in these limited words," he added.
He said that he categorizes or records works by serial numbers instead of titles.
His thoughts like this also affect his way of working. The direction of his work is 'subtraction, not addition'. Normally, Artists strive to bring more meaning to their work, but he does the opposite. When asked why, he replied, "It is because if only the essence remains in the work, what the audience feels will always be the same even after time passes." It is explained that subtracting something is more important than adding something to leave the essence of the work.
He doesn't like the word “trends”. "Trends are a phenomenon that comes from copying someone or something. So I believe that artists should think for theirselves until they get an answer and not copy someone else. That way, artists can get closer to the essence.“
After a while, he continues, "It's a waste of energy to dress up like an artist." Maybe that's why his clothes and hairstyle were no different from those of the local man who opened the door.
During the interview, people from all over the country visit his castle to see this kind of neighborhood man. Most of the audience recognizes him, greets him affectionately, and approaches him.
His castle would be the utopia that all artists dream of. A place where one can focus only on the artwork in one’s studio all day long and have a cup of coffee with visitors who visit to appreciate one’s artwork. This is such a place. Perhaps his castle is a reward for the many pains he spent as an artist.
He said he has no plans to exhibit outside in the future. Now that he has gathered all his children in one place, the explanation is that he hopes that the audience will come here.
His works are recognized abroad as well. A famous hotel in Switzerland invited him to a distant foreign country to collect his works, and his works installed at that time still inspire tourists from all over the world in the hotel lobby.
His another works are currently on permanent display in the lobby and basement of the Bloomvista Hotel in Yangpyeong.
He also produces small objects, but usually produces large-scale objects that are several meters or longer. He could not confine all of his 500 drawings, 150 small pieces, and 100 large works in his castle.
"I don't think contemporary art can exist without marketing. I don't think it's possible to fully unfold the world of art with the spirit of an artist stuck in the mountains. Also, I think artists should make efforts to continuously create art," he said.
He built a coffee shop downstairs from his castle. The scenery of the snowy countryside seen from the second floor of this coffee shop is another attraction.
Thousands of stones hanging from a string on the wall of the coffee shop boast their majesty. He may have stayed up as many nights as the number of these stones and worked hard for his world of art.
All photography was done by Maria Kim, and all works by Lee Jae-hyo are untitled.
