Lee Dongwook (b. 1976) focuses on the images found in the objects surrounding him, combining these with small, intricate sculptures. His works, where objects and sculptures are intricately connected, are deeply intertwined with our daily lives and reality.

The choice of media, such as Sculpey (a type of clay), fossils, and industrial products, alongside his unique expressive style, reflects the artist's personal taste and private experiences. However, the content often emerges from a serious observation of individuals in contemporary society or a sharp critique of reality.

Starting from his university years, Lee Dongwook began combining small plastic model kits with Sculpey, a material often used in clay animation, to create miniature human-shaped sculptures. Since the early 2000s, the artist began to focus on the images featured in the designs of mass-produced goods, such as canned products, and explored how these could be integrated with his small sculptures.

In particular, he pays attention to the images on product designs that are unrelated to the actual contents of the goods. For instance, his work Green Giant (2003–2004) was inspired by the American canned corn product "Green Giant Niblets Corn." Rather than the corn kernels inside, Lee was drawn to the prominent image of the green giant depicted on the packaging.

Using Sculpey, he transformed the flat image of the green giant into a three-dimensional form and placed it inside the can, replacing the corn kernels. By humorously inserting a character designed to entice consumption into the actual product, Lee cleverly critiques the commercial manipulation of imagery over substance.

The artist not only draws inspiration from the images depicted on product packaging but also interprets the accompanying text literally, transforming it into small sculptural forms. For example, his work Dolphin Safe (2003), created using a can of tuna, is based on the "Dolphin Safe" label printed on the can’s surface.

The "Dolphin Safe" label indicates that the tuna in the can was caught using methods that avoid harming dolphins, a practice necessitated by tuna's tendency to swim alongside dolphin pods. Lee Dongwook focused on how such a label requires contextual knowledge to be fully understood rather than being immediately intuitive.

The small-sized dolphin sculpture, created through a literal interpretation of the image suggested by the phrase "Dolphin Safe," ironically replaces the actual contents of the product it originated from—tuna—thereby creating a paradoxical situation.

This series of works transforms the images or phrases found on the surfaces of mass-produced consumer goods into three-dimensional forms, intersecting these with real-world contexts to create surreal and ironic scenes. Meanwhile, Lee Dongwook’s subsequent works build upon the foundation of his earlier pieces but take a step further by delving into the essence of human nature.

His 2004 work Hooker features a small human figure shaped into a fishhook bait, embodying the fragility and imperfection inherent in human existence. Initiated from a sense of compassion for human beings, the piece metaphorically reveals the condition of individuals caught in bait-like circumstances, living lives dictated by forces beyond their own will.

In parallel, Lee Dongwook has presented works exploring the act of "breeding," inspired by his hobbies of collecting and raising animals. The artist focuses on the power dynamics and systems of control that operate between the caretaker and the cared-for. 

One example is his 2012 work Good Boy, which depicts a human figure holding the leashes of around 30 dogs. The human, precariously positioned at the center with a leash tied around his neck, embodies a delicate tension—any slight imbalance threatens to topple the entire scene. 

The title, Good Boy, ambiguously refers either to the dogs or to the leashed figure at the top of this hierarchical chain. This ambiguity reflects a scenario where both parties are mutually entangled in a process of taming each other. It also critiques the implicit societal structures and unspoken rules upheld by customs and taboos, revealing an underlying state of constrained order.

In the same year, Lee presented the installation Engraved Glory, Indelible Past (2012), which replaced human forms with a birdcage, trophies collected by the artist, and live birds. Inside the large cage, trophies symbolizing victory and achievement are placed alongside birds that feed and grow on the seeds stored within the trophies. 

Over time, the once-shiny trophies become tarnished and lose their luster as they are soiled by the birds' droppings and other debris. This gradual transformation in Engraved Glory, Indelible Past metaphorically illustrates the fleeting nature of wealth, fame, and other dazzling values in human society, revealing the inevitable decline that follows moments of glory.

Since 2016, Lee has developed an interest in “suseok”—an ancient Eastern hobby involving the collection, arrangement, and appreciation of stones—and has created works inspired by this. The artist personally collects stones that capture his attention and incorporates them into installation pieces. While stones used in traditional suseok typically feature subdued colors, Lee selects stones with vibrant patterns and colors, showcasing their distinct characteristics. 

One example is All the Interestings (2016), composed of stones gathered from around the world, intricately stacked and interwoven. Among these stones, materials and objects from Lee’s previous works also make appearances. The unique individuality of each vividly patterned stone becomes apparent as they press against one another, yet their distinctiveness is simultaneously obscured within the collective arrangement.

Through such ambiguous installations, the artist emphasizes the importance of looking beyond the surface to uncover what lies beneath, encouraging a recognition of individual existences. While his earlier works primarily used singular human figures to dramatically depict the human condition, All the Interestings expands this perspective, reflecting on everything that exists in the world, including both natural and artificial objects. 

By exploring the relationship between surface and depth through the medium of stones, the artist invites contemplation of the universal balance and coexistence of diversity among all entities.

In this way, Lee Dongwook’s work reflects his contemplation on individuals navigating current society and the hidden layers of reality. Equally significant, however, is the artist's focus on the connections between objects, a recurring and central theme in his practice. 

Lee continually explores how objects connect with one another, as well as how humans and objects can form meaningful relationships. His 2018 work Insufficient Combination vividly exemplifies this line of thought. This piece features loosely entangled combinations of various objects, including human and animal figures sculpted in Sculpey, branches, honeycomb models, and collected stones.

Lee Dongwook emphasizes that while storytelling is crucial in creating connections, the aesthetic harmony arising from the combination of elements such as color arrangement and form is equally significant. By fusing numerous objects he collects from the world in his distinctive way, he breathes new life into them as works of art.

This interplay of reflection on human society and aesthetic exploration through the arrangement and combination of diverse materials is also evident in his recent works showcased in the solo exhibition “Red and Shiny” at Arario Gallery. 

Among these works, the large-scale installation Shiny (2024) features a variety of disparate objects, all rendered in silver, intricately connected and arranged to create a visually stimulating composition. True to its title, the work gleams with brilliance, incorporating materials such as platinum-coated branches, various silver-toned objects, and silver wrapping ribbons. 

The textural contrast between the natural wood grain and the shimmering platinum coating, alongside the nuanced differences between the silver tones of the platinum and the wrapping ribbons, generates a unique visual tension.

Another recent work, Seven Knights (2024), extends the series of artworks that reflect his insights into contemporary human existence through representations of small human figures within specific structures. However, in this piece, rather than the carefully crafted, pink-skinned, figurative human forms that stood out in his previous works, the artist employs rough molds to create red-colored figures that symbolize vitality. 

In this artwork, humans are depicted as if they were crushed masses of flesh, metaphorically illustrating their entrapment within structures. Yet, at the same time, these figures suggest that despite being buried in such conditions, human beings retain an undying vitality.
 
Through this approach, Lee Dongwook continues to combine small, intricate human sculptures with everyday objects in extreme, bizarre, and aesthetically stimulating ways. The landscapes he creates through these combinations satirically present a portrait of human beings living in the contemporary world.

"I acknowledge human fragility. People, especially individuals, are weak. I focus on each solitary human being. Humans become wicked because of their weakness. We are all just similar beings." (Lee Dongwook, Topclass Interview, April 2013)

Lee Dongwook graduated from the Department of Painting of Hongik University College of Fine Arts and obtained his master's degree from the graduate school of the same university. Lee has held solo exhibitions at various institutions such as Arario Gallery (Seoul, 2024; 2012), Arario Museum Dongmun Motel II (Jeju, Korea, 2016), Gallery Charlotte Lund (Stockholm, Sweden, 2013) and Doosan Gallery (New York, US, 2012).

He has also participated in group exhibitions at Arario Gallery (Seoul, 2023; 2018; 2014; 2011; 2010), Daejeon Museum of Art (Daejeon, Korea, 2021), Inside-Out Art Museum (Beijing, 2017), Light Box (Venice, Italia, 2013), Museum of Arts and Design (New York, USA, 2011), Uppsala Art Museum (Uppsala, Sweden, 2011), National Museum of Contemporary Art (Gwacheon, Korea, 2010; 2009; 2004), Saatchi Gallery (London, UK, 2009), Total Museum of Contemporary Art (Seoul, 2009) and The National Museum of Art (Osaka, Japan, 2007) etc.

Lee's works are part of many significant collections such as National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Korea), Seoul Museum of Art (Korea), Burger Collection (Hong Kong), Rubell Family Collection (US), Today Art Museum (China) and more.

References

• 아라리오갤러리, 이동욱 (Arario Gallery, Lee Dongwook)
• 아라리오갤러리, Love Me Sweet (Arario Gallery, Love Me Sweet)
• 페리지갤러리, 모두 다 흥미로운 (Perigee Gallery, All the interestings)
• 다아트, [주목 전시] 조각을 오리고, 배치하고, 결합한 권오상·김인배·이동욱, 2018.12.20
• 아라리오갤러리, 붉고 빛나는 (Arario Gallery, Red and Shiny)
• 톱클래스, [이진숙이 만난 우리 시대 미술가] 조각가 이동욱, 2013년 4월호