Biography

Korea, b.1965
Since graduating in 1992 with a BFA from the Hong-Ik University Jaehyo Lee (1965, Hapchen, Korea) has gained acclaim both in his native Korea and internationally for his distinct yet intimately crafted oeuvre. Combining distinct traces of Land Art, Arte Povera and Minimalism Lee´s works cast a questioning eye over the roots of form, its function and its role within the natural world.

Lee´s works willfully play with the oft-contested boundaries between modern art and design, referencing the idealist´s cubes, cylinders and cones as perversions of the chaise longue, the coffee table, the lampshade, and even the humble doughnut. Revealing a subtly humorous and unsentimental attitude to nature, what unites these works is a belief that the beauty of art is a product of the labor from whence it comes, whether this be the meticulous carving of larch trunks into the form of a perfect sphere or, equally, the precise bending and sanding of thousands of nails hammered one after another into a hunk of cut lumber.

Amongst many other distinctions Jaehyo was in 1998 Grand Prize Winner at the Osaka Triennial and in 2002 recipient of the prestigious Irish Sculpture in Woodland commission. His works are held in public and private collections across Europe, Asia and North America.

ARTIST’S STATEMENT

“Until recently, my work has been about combining wood with nails or steel bars and integrating them into geometrical shapes such as spheres, hemispheres, or cylinders. Whenever I did this, one of my problems was to keep the nails and bolts out of sight. Now, on the contrary, I put an emphasis on the nails themselves. I drive countless nails into wood, bend them, grind them, and make them protrude. I then burn the wood, blackening its growth ring records and its natural color. The glittering metallic nails on the black charcoal become ever more conspicuous, and through this process, I draw a picture on wood using nails. Those who make a hard living may be the ones who make this world a beautiful place. I certainly do not have the power to make it beautiful. I just hope to reveal the beauty in what is usually seen but not noticed. It may be a rusty bent nail. If you take a close look at it, however, you’ll find out how beautiful it can be.” -Jaehyo Lee

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2020

The 50th – Hapcheon Video Theme Park 2019 The 49th – Hanwha condo

2019

The 48th – Pontone Gallery

2018

The 47th – Moran Museum of Art

2017

Sohyang Gallery, Busan
Pontone Gallery, London

2016

Jaehyo Lee: The Principles of Nature, Madison Gallery, La Jolla, CA
Seongnam Arts Center, Seoul

2015

M Art Center, Shanghai
Shoyang Gallery, Busan, South Korea

2014

PYO Gallery, Seoul, Korea
Albemarle Gallery, London UK
Gegjoo Literature House, Korea
BUNDO Gallery, Korea
M Art Center, Shanghai
HADA Gallery, London UK

2013

Union Square Park, New York, NY
Ever Harvest Art Gallery, Taiwan

2012

Madison Gallery, La Jolla CA
Albemarle Gallery, London, UK
Parkryesook Gallery, Korea
DOSI Gallery, Korea
HADA Gallery, London UK
Sungkok Museum, Korea
Cynthia-Reeves Contemporary, Brooklyn, NY

2011

Albemarle Gallery, London
Galeria Ethra, Mexico
Galerie Noordeinde, Netherlands
Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts, Alabama

2010

Yoon Gallery, Seoul
Albemarle Gallery, London
Nampo Art Museum, Korea
Kwai Fung Hin Gallery, Hong Kong
Cynthia-Reeves Contemporary, New York

2009

Gallery Sol Beach, Korea
Ever Harvest Art Gallery, Taiwan
Gallery Keumsan, Japan
Albemarle Gallery, London
Manas Art Center, Korea

2008

Bundo Gallery, Korea
Dosi Gallery, Korea
Cynthia-Reeves Contemporary, New York

2007

Gallery Keumsan, Japan
Gallery Artside, China
Gallery Keumsan, Korea

2006

Gallery Marin, Korea

2005

Gallery Artside, Korea

2003

Gallery Won, Korea

2001

Vermont Studio Center, USA

2000

Ilmin Museum of Art, Korea

1996

Museum of Seoul Arts Center, Korea

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2016

Hwang Seontae | Between Light and Space, Shine Artists London, London
Pontone Gallery | Taiwan | 炫藝 | 開幕首展, Shine Artists, London
Museum of Contemporary Art, MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA
Jaehyo Lee, Lee Jaesam Exhibition, Inje Museum, Korea
Jeff Robb | Nightfall, Shine Artists London, London
Pontone Gallery Opening Exhibition, Shine Artists London, London
Grand Opening: Miami Design District, Opera Gallery, Miami

2015

KIAF 2015, COEX
Regeneration, Perspectives on Korean Art, Opera Gallery, Paris
Sculpture 2015, Albemarle Gallery, London
RE: Kontemporary-Fermented Souls, Waterfall Mansion, New York
Donations Exhibtion ‘l Dream’, Avenuel Art Hall, Korea

2014

International Fire Sculpture Festival in Jeongseon Samtan Art Mine, Korea
Sori Arts Center of Jeollabuk-do
Cyan Museum, Korea
Samtan Art Mine,Korea

2013

Opera Gallery, Dubai
Chung Mun Kyu Museum
KIAF 2013, COEX
Dubai Art-fair, Dubai
Hommage a Whanki, Whanki Museum
Seek & Desire, Gyeongnam Art Museum
Contemporary Art in the Textbook, Aram Museum

2012

KIAF 2012, COEX
Korean Eye,Saatchi Gallery, London UK
Aqueous, Albemarle Gallery, London UK
Contemporary Korean Art Since the 1990’s, Korea
China International Gallery Exposition, Beijing
Design Days Dubai, Dubai
A Magic Moment, Basel Art Center
HADA Gallery, London UK

2011

International Sculpture Symposium in Icheon, Icheon
Moving Art Village, Nampo Art Museum
Hong Kong Art Fair, Hong Kong
Art Paris, Paris
SOFA New York, New York
Gotenyama Exhibition, Ippodo Gallery, Gotenyama

2010
Korea Tomorrow, SETEC
The Seoul Art Exhibition, Seoul Museum of Art
G20 Seoul Summit Celebration Exhibition for the Korean Fine Arts, National Assembly Library
Art Docking Spot, Woomyoung Art Museum
KIAF-VIP Lounge, COEX
Hongik Sculpture Exhibition, Triennale di Milano Incheon Museum
Taiperi Art Fair, Taipei
Shanghai Art Fair, Shanghai
Lee Jaehyo & Lee Jungwoong Exhibition, Beacon Gallery
Arcades Project, Inter Alia Gallery
San Francisco Fine Art Fair, San Francisco, CA
Hong Kong Art Fair, Hong Kong
Art Chicago, Chicago, IL
Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair, New York
Multi Effect, Gallery Ihn
30th Anniversary of the Young Korean Artists, National Museum of Contemporary Art
Korea Galleries Art Fair, BEXCO
Living Art Fair, COEX
Arts and Crafts Collaboration, Icheon World Ceramic Center

2009

Korea & Singapore Joint Sculpture Exhibition, Singapore-Botanic Garden
Yangpyeong Environmental Art, South Han River
Touchart Book Artists, Touchart Gallery
Korea International Art Fair, COEX
Art Fair Taipei, Taiwan
Like of Yves Saint Laurent, Gallery Artside
Korean Aesthetics, Albemarle Gallery, UK
Mad for Furniture, Nefspace
Hong Kong Art Fair, Gallery Keumsan
Korea Galleries Art Fair, BEXCO
Step of a Bull, Jang Eun Sun Gallery
The Great Hands, Hyundai Gallery

2008

Second Lives: Remixing the Ordinary, Museum of Arts and Design, New York
Korea Now: Emerging Korean Art, Artlink, Israel
Shanghai Contemporary Art Fair, Shanghai
Korea International Art Fair, COEX
Daegu Art Fair, EXCO
Art Museum the Traveling, National Museum of Contemporary Art
Living Design Fair, COEX
Contemporary Neo_metaphor, Insa Art Center
Seoul Art Fair, Bexco
Opening 10th Busan Municipal Museum of Art, Busan Municipal Museum of Art
Changwon Asian Contemporary Art Exhibition, Changwon Art Hall
Circle & Square, N Gallery Planning Invitation Exhibition

2007

Lee Jaehyo, Park Seungmo, Chio Taehoon, Group Exhibition, Manas Art Center
From Dot to Dot, Whanki Museum
Living Design Fair, Designer’s Choice- COEX
Beijing Art Fair, China
Tuning Boloni, China

2006

Simply Beautiful, Centre PasquArt, Biel-Switzerland
Art Canal, River Suze, Switzerland
EHS Project, Cheonggyecheon, Seoul
China International Gallery Exposition, Beijing, China
Alchemy of Daily Life, New Zealand
Vibration, EBS Broadcasting Exhibition Hall

2005

Vibration, Seoul City Art Museum
Hyogo International Competition of Painting, Hyogo Prefecture Museum of Art, Japan
Art & Mathematics, Savina Museum

2004

An Open Commemoration the Olympic Museum, Olympic Museum
100% Propose, Gallery Sea & Sea
Imjin River, The Side of Imjin River
Alchemy of Daily Life, National Museum of Contemporary Art
Wave, Gallery Dosi

2003

Out of Wood, Kim Chong-Yung Sculpture Museum
The Happy Sympathy between Human and Wood, Daejeon Municipal Museum of Art
Benchmarking Project, Namsan Park
40’s Artist, Gallery Moro
Art Bench, Art Side

2002

To Become One with Nature, YungEun Museum
International Environmental Art Exhibition a Red-bellied Frog’s Cry, Seoul Arts Center, Seoul
DeulMok Association, Gallery Agio

2001

Good Design Festival, KOEX, Seoul
The Association of Asian Contemporary Sculpture, YungEun Museum of Contemporary Art
Lee Jaehyo, Han Sueng-Gon Exhibition, Hotel Lotte
Water, Wood, Metal, Earth, Live, Insa Art Gallery

PERMANENT COLLECTIONS

National Museum of Contemporary Art(Korea)
Moran Museum(Korea)
Ilmin Museum of Art(Korea)
Busan Municipal Museum of Art(Korea)
Gyeonggi Museum of Morden Art(Korea)
63 City Tower(Korea)
W-Seoul Walker-hill Hotel(Korea)
Borgata Hotel(USA)
Park Hyatt Hotel Shanghai(China)
Osaka Contemporary Art Center of Japan(Japan)
MGM Hotel(USA)
Hyogo Prefecture Museum of Art(Japan)
Intercontinental Hotel(Switzerland)
Briton Place-UMU Restaurant(UK)
Sculpture in Woodland(Ireland)
Grand Hyatt Hotel(Taiwan)
Park Hyatt Hotel Washington D,C(USA)
Marriott Hotel(Korea)
Cornell University Herbert F. Johnson Museum(USA)
Grand Hyatt Hotel Berlin(Germany)
President Wilson Hotel(Swiss)
Phoenix Island(Korea)
Pusan National University Hospital(Korea)
Industrial Bank(Taiwan)
Crown Hotel(Australia)
Park Hyatt Hotel Zurich(Switzerland)
Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial(Japan)
IFC Seoul Hotel(Korea)
EMAAR Building(Dubai)