“Painting is a story from the painter’s heart”

“And then I paint again, and again, and keep painting….”
 
Lee Kang Wook (26), who won the Grand Prize at the 24th JoongAng Art Competition, repeatedly emphasized the word “again,” saying that he would take this award as motivation to work even harder. With his bright expression and slender build giving him a boyish impression, he has nevertheless maintained a firm conviction about painting, stating clearly—despite his gentle appearance—that “painting is a personal story of the artist.”
 
“A painter is someone who expresses what they want to say through painting. Even if one’s stance or perspective differs, a story that only the artist can tell must resonate richly on the canvas. I tend to value drawings in which my inner thoughts burst out directly and straightforwardly. Through those free and lively lines, I reveal myself.”
 
The award-winning work,Invisible Space-02091, at first glance resembles an aerial photograph, or traces left by a preserved organism that has dried out. After transferring images of cells onto the surface, Lee builds multiple layers of thin membranes, draws over them, and attaches glass beads, cubic stones, and glitter. The resulting surface feels like a luminous and mysterious galactic world.

“An invisible space refers to imagination or to micro- and macro-worlds that cannot be perceived by the eye. As I contemplate who I am and what constitutes me, breaking myself down again and again, that approach flows not simply toward the micro or the macro, but toward yet another infinite space. In that infinite universe, an indescribably mysterious web of living beings connects with me.”
 
A native of Ulsan who enjoyed drawing from a young age, Mr. Lee entered the Department of Painting at Hongik University after three attempts.
 
“I thought Hongik University was the only art college,” he said, adding, “Looking back now, it wasn’t persistence but stubborn attachment.” Busy preparing for a solo exhibition to be held in November, he submitted his work just five minutes before the deadline and says he did not expect to win an award.
 
Describing his feelings as if he had “struck it lucky,” he remarked, “I plan to use the prize money to study in the United States and to gain a wide range of experiences.”

References

• 24회 중앙미술대전 수상작 선정
  The 24th JoongAng Fine Arts Competition Selected Winning Art Work