Kyoung-Soo Lee

One early dawn time unclear, fog thick I once witnessed a limping dog walking side by side with another dog. It was a dark and lonely hour, but the way they leaned on each other as they moved forward quietly warmed something inside me. Though it felt like a scene from a dream, it remains a deeply meaningful memory.

Through painting, I seek to express such personal moments and emotions symbolically. Figures, flowers, birds, and animals in my work serve as metaphors for inner feelings. For instance, camellias represent hidden love, lilies suggest purity, and doves carry the longing for peace and freedom. The backs of figures hint at mystery, solitude, and the fragments of emotion we struggle to put into words.

These symbols are not just visual elements; they are built upon through restrained colors and repeated gestures—layering, scraping, and pushing paint. I often apply white or gray over primary colors, then repeat the process to create soft, neutral tones that evoke a quiet emotional depth. The resulting blank spaces are places for contemplation, and the traces of paint hold layers of time and memory.

The surreal figures in my work—those bearing symbolic objects on their heads—reflect the modern self that seeks to conceal and ...

GRADUATE SCHOOL OF FINE ART, HONGIK UNIVERSITY

Master of Fine Arts (Painting)

Solo Exhibitions

2023 - Unreal,Gallery Sijak
2020 - Allerygory, Gallery Hiddenplace
2020 - Dreams, Gallery Hiddenplace
2016 - Another, Hanok, 10-4 Gyedong 4-gil
2012 - Kyoung-soo 2nd Exhibition, Bobine Gallery
2012 - The Circus, Gahoe Gallery

Group Exhibitions
2023 - Opening Exhibition of the Geumeunmorae Small Art Museum, Geumeunmorae Small Art Museum
2022 - Design Art Fair, Seoul Arts Center
2022 - Muleung Muleung Art Market, jejuSeoul Arts Center
2021 - Design Art Fair, Seoul Arts Center
2020 - Three Artists Exhibition: Visible Things, Things That Are Seen, Gallery41
2020 - Solo Exhibition: Dreams, Gallery Hiddenplace
2020 - Design Art Fair, Seoul Arts Center
2019 - Design Art Fair, Seoul Arts Center
2018 - Life Art Fair, Studio Byeolchae
2018 - New Thinking New Art, Leeseoul Gallery
2017 - HanSung Baekje Art Award Exhibition, Yesong Museum of Art
2017 - Design Art Fair, Seoul Arts Center
2016 - Seoul International Book Fair, COEX
2015 - Character Licensing Fair, COEX
2015 - Design Art Fair, Seoul Arts Center
2014 - ARTION X Magnet Group Exhibition, Art Space ARTION
2013 - Design Art Fair, Seoul Arts Center
2012 - Giddeum, Topohaus Gallery
2012 - Wow Children's Book Festival, Seogyo Arts Experiment Cent...