Exhibition view of 《Raw, Polished, Coated》 at Space So (2021) ©Heejoon Lee

Space SO is presenting Heejoon Lee’s solo exhibition from September 9 to October 17. Titled 《Raw, Polished, Coated》, the exhibition encapsulates the artist’s working process. “Raw” refers to unprocessed materials, landscapes, or surfaces—those that serve as the source or subject of his work. “Polished” represents the editing and refining process, in which raw images are manipulated and transformed, shifting from photograph to painting. “Coated” refers to the final stage, where painterly elements are layered onto the canvas, completing the surface.

Since his 2020 solo exhibition, Heejoon Lee has been focusing on painting series using photo-collage techniques, including ‘The Tourist’, ‘Still Life’, and ‘Image Architecture’. This exhibition presents new works from 2021.

Heejoon Lee, Ceramic Flower, 2021, acrylic and photo-collage on canvas, 100 x 100cm ©Heejoon Lee

Though similar in that he begins by photographing his surroundings to extract geometric, design-like, or abstract painterly forms, his recent work places greater emphasis on the act of observing surfaces and expressing texture. The tactile quality of raw objects is stripped away in the editing and printing process, only to be reintroduced through the application of paint and matière, resulting in a visual and tactile presence that offers viewers a renewed sensation of texture.

Lee employs photo-collage techniques using photography and acrylic paint to develop a distinct abstract language. In the interplay between photographic surfaces and textures, thick layers of matière applied on top, and brush-rendered geometric or abstract elements, he finds a delicate balance between painting and photography.

The artist also draws attention to the texture of the canvas itself. By leaving the sides of the canvas untouched and exposing certain parts of the surface, he reveals the physicality of the support material. In doing so, the canvas texture becomes part of the work, allowing viewers to sense its surface, thickness, and weight.

Upon entering the exhibition, the stark contrast of black floors and white walls sets the tone. This minimalist spatial design, stripped of color, enhances the viewer’s focus on the textures within the paintings. In this pared-down, black-and-white environment, Lee’s works act as ruptures, mirroring his practice of layering paint on photographs to create complex, textured surfaces. The exhibition invites the viewer to fully engage in the pure visual pleasure of surface and texture as discovered and rendered by the artist.

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