이이남 작가의 신기한 병풍

Media artist blends classical works, literally

 

A scene from "New-Danbalryeong Manggeumgang" [Hakgojae Gallery]

 

Paintings by French artist Paul Cezanne and Joseon Dynasty artist Gyeomjae Jeongseon slowly blend together before visitors' eyes at Hakgojae Gallery in central Seoul.

Raindrops splatter on the digitalized versions of the works hung side by side. The drops add colors to Jeongseon's painting and bleach Cezanne's, causing each to look like the other.

When the transformation reaches its peak, one would not be able to tell which one used to be which without checking the artists' signatures. Saint Victoire mountain in Cezanne's painting and Namsan in Jeongseon's happened to be surprisingly similar to start with.

The works slowly return to their original selves as snow falls.

This interesting work is by Lee Lee-nam, now a well-known Korean media artist.

Lee, who had actually majored in sculpture, turned to media art in 1997, inspired by some of his animation-major students who attended his clay art class.

"I got to see their animation works between classes and it looked so fun! I had finally found the way to really realize my imaginations. Paintings and sculptures do have their limits," Lee said at a recent press conference.

Excited, Lee embarked on his first series called "The Conversation between Monet & Sochi." The man on a ferry in French artist Jean Claude Monet's painting floats across the frames into the painting by Sochi Heoryeon, a Joseon Dynasty artist. The small island in Sochi's painting moves the other way.

Day turns into night during his ride as it is visible when both paintings grow dark and buildings appear in the back, unexpectedly creating a city nightscape. Morning comes again, and Sochi's painting has a ferry man and Monet's has an island.

Lee first gained fame abroad in the middle of this decade, earning favorable reviews at international art fairs. Foreign art aficionados were fascinated by unfamiliar old Asian paintings that move through advanced IT technologies.

Attention soon grew in Korea, too. Samsung Electronics Co. recently made a pledge to provide Lee with 90 LED TVs every year for the next five years. During the period, some of his works will be loaded in Samsung TVs for sale, so that consumers can enjoy his works at home.

Naturally, fame was followed by imitation. An institute in Korea and some artists from other Asian countries started to emulate his works.

"I was upset at first, but now I don't deal with them. I decided that it would more productive to absorb myself in my next work," Lee said.

His newest works have stronger and more complex narrative structures. Take "New-Danbalryeong Manggeumgang" for example. Like in the original "Danbalryeong Manggeumgang" painting by Jeongseon, the basic plot is that people enjoy the view from the mountain. Only, in Lee's new version, the view is a high-tech city with skyscrapers.

The people, apparently from Joseon Dynasty, look around in awe. A cable car that connects different mountains appears, and curious people hop on it. Some more people at the foot of the mountain seem to have heard the news, as they hurriedly climb up to ride the next cable car.

"I try to erase the border between the past and present. They are actually very close, more than we normally think. They are inseparable," he said.

"For my next project, I am eyeing AMOLED and monitors that bend."

The exhibition runs through Dec. 13 at Hakgojae Gallery in Sogyeok-dong, central Seoul. For more information, visit www.hakgojae.com or call (02) 739-4937.

(claire@heraldm.com)

By Park Min-young