Poster image of Lee Houk’s solo exhibition "Portal of Mystery" at Gallery Chosun, Seoul (November 3, 2022 – December 23, 2022). Courtesy of Gallery Chosun.Gallery Chosun presents Lee Houk’s solo exhibition “Portal of Mystery” through December 23.
Artist Lee Houk captures the inner emotions he experiences in nature. Lee carries paper, a brush, and ink into the woods or onto islands to create ink paintings. By isolating himself in an uninhabited area, the artist is able to use nature as a mirror to direct his attention inward, away from the external world.
The image that resembles blood oozing from the roots of trees symbolizes the agony experienced when an individual is separated from society and the contradiction of collective consciousness. In addition, the image of clouds conveys a sense of “timeliness,” “movement,” and “vitality.”
According to the artist, today’s society is a digital colony since we are constantly dragged around by the constant flow of information, which prevents us from fully facing ourselves. The prevalent totalitarianism and nationalism in Korean society also prevent us from focusing on our individuality. By isolating himself from cities, Lee attempts to overcome these difficulties by emphasizing his ego’s overflowing presence in nature through Korean painting.
Lee Houk has held solo exhibitions at institutions such as EMU Art Space (Seoul, 2019), Gallery Chosun (Seoul, 2018), and FACO (Seoul, 2016). He has participated in numerous group exhibitions at Seongnam Art Center (Seongnam, 2019), Hakgojae Gallery (Seoul, 2017), Seoul Art Space Geumcheon (Seoul, 2017), and Hanwon Art Museum (Seoul, 2012).
