LEE Gi Seong

Korean artist Lee Gi Seong was born in 1959. He is renowned for creating abstract works using iron powder which, as it oxidises, creates unpredictable patterns on the surface of the raw canvas. His process involves mixing iron powder with a medium to create a dough-like substance, which he then pours onto an unpainted canvas, manipulating it until he is happy with the form. He then uses acid to oxidise the surface. As an artist, he is interested in the immediate impact of abstraction upon the senses of the viewer. In this way, he aims to create a timeless communication that is visceral, rather than cerebral.

Lee has explored various materials and techniques in his creative endeavours, from painting to installation art, before settling on this method. When working, he gradually reduces his personal thoughts and consciousness, leaving only the material and his body, interacting in a wholly natural and unconscious way. He is also interested in material degradation — something that all physical things, including people, are subject to. Rust comes to symbolise the process of aging and weathering that awaits us all. Running alongside this, though, is a paradoxical sense of timelessness: the moment of communion between artwork and viewer as one that somehow transcends reality. As Lee says, “through art, humans can forget their fear of death.” 

Lee’s work has been displayed around the world and is included in a number of public and private collections.