白立方香港欣然呈現旅居巴黎的韓國藝術家李鎮雨（Lee Jin Woo）在香港的首次個展。李鎮雨深諳韓國傳統美學，他將抽象視為通往普遍性的途徑，旨在透過作品使觀者達到近乎冥想的意識狀態。這些作品是身心靈全面苦行的結果，強化了觀者的身體覺知，成為具有感知能力的「呼吸」存在。

White Cube is delighted to present the first solo exhibition in Hong Kong of Lee Jin Woo, a Korean artist in Paris. Lee Jin Woo is well-versed in traditional Korean aesthetics. He views abstraction as a path to universality, aiming to bring viewers to a state of consciousness akin to meditation through his works. These pieces result from a comprehensive spiritual discipline, enhancing the physical awareness of viewers and becoming a ‘breathing’ existence with sensory capabilities.

Why it matters:

李鎮雨的藝術遵循極簡手勢、形式重複與謙遜的身體勞動原則。他的創作延續自20世紀70年代韓國單色畫運動（Dansaekhwa），其中包括領軍人物朴栖甫（Park Seo-Bo）和李禹焕（Lee Ufan）。他的創作在材料上從泥土提取主要媒介，並透過儀式化的重複轉化這些材料。木炭和韓紙經過艱苦轉化後，化為一幅抽象的「風景」，於紙上呈現出變幻莫測且令人深思的畫作，引發對無限空間的感知。正如李鎮雨所言：「當我開始繪畫，我就變成了一隻畫畫的手臂。我的手是大腦的延伸，我停止了思考。我的作品是直覺的。我在虛幻的風景中前行。」

Lee Jin Woo’s art adheres to principles of minimal gestures, form repetition, and humble physical labor. His work continues from the Korean monochrome painting movement (Dansaekhwa) of the 1970s, which included leading figures such as Park Seo-Bo and Lee Ufan. He derives his primary mediums from the earth and transforms these materials through ritualized repetition. Charcoal and Korean paper, transformed through arduous processes, become an abstract ‘landscape’ that presents a thought-provoking and ever-changing depiction on paper, evoking a perception of infinite space. As Lee Jin Woo said, “When I start painting, I become an arm that paints. My hand is an extension of my brain; I stop thinking. My works are intuitive. I move forward in an imaginary landscape.”

4 Highlights:

• 李鎮雨創作深受朝鮮王朝畫大師郑敾（號謙齋，Gyeomjae Jeong Seon，1676-1759年）影響，同時也受到了西方繪畫啟發，特別是克勞德·莫奈的作品帶來的深刻啟示。巴黎學習期間，他在奧賽博物館首次接觸莫奈的作品，對其產生了深刻情感反應，這影響了他後來的創作，期望觀者能有同樣的直覺反應。
• Lee Jin Woo’s creations are deeply influenced by Jeong Seon, a master painter from the Joseon Dynasty, known by his pen name Gyeomjae, and Western painting, particularly the profound revelations from Claude Monet’s works. During his study period in Paris, he encountered Monet’s works for the first time at the Musée d’Orsay, which deeply moved him and influenced his subsequent creations, hoping to evoke the same intuitive response in viewers.

• 自90年代起，李鎮雨開始使用木炭創作，2008年起，他將木炭運用於整個畫面。創作過程從研磨木炭開始，經過過濾、粘合，再將混合物覆蓋於亞麻布底布，以韓紙完全覆蓋表面，視為個人“無效化”的行為。隨後，用鐵刷反復刮擦與敲打，持續兩到三個月。隨著時間推移，韓紙與木炭融合，形成至少10層堆積物，直至浮現清晰圖像，成品由此誕生。
• Since the 1990s, Lee Jin Woo has been using charcoal in his creations, and since 2008, he has applied charcoal across entire canvases. The creation process begins with grinding charcoal, then filtering and bonding, and then covering the linen substrate with Korean paper, which is considered an act of ‘nullification’ on a personal level. Afterwards, he repeatedly scrapes and taps with an iron brush for two to three months. Over time, the Korean paper and charcoal merge to form at least ten layers of deposits until a clear image emerges, resulting in the finished product.

• 李鎮雨的畫作由厚重物質組成，在畫面上形成粗糙表面，呈現立體浮雕效果，如同地形起伏。光影在這些表面上帶來無限變化的色調與效果。他的作品更像地質構造，讓人聯想到遙遠的冰川時期與漫長歷程。同時，作品中的印記與擦痕聯繫起既虛無又存在的感覺。形式的純粹性與對礦物世界材料的直接使用，創造了作品的平靜構圖。
• Lee Jin Woo’s paintings consist of thick materials, creating a rough surface texture that resembles three-dimensional reliefs, like geographical undulations. Light and shadow on these surfaces bring endless tones and effects. His works resemble geological formations reminiscent of distant glacial periods and long processes. The marks and scratches in his works connect to a feeling of both void and existence. The purity of form and direct use of mineral world materials create a calm composition in his works. 

• 類似的「自我」遺失、直觉驅動的創作，也體現在以書法為出發點的紙上作品——這種印記形式是他工作室中的日常行為。展覽中的六幅紙上作品使用了本土材料，探討了油畫中的核心主題：掩蔽、時間流逝與作者性的消解。這些作品由重複的書法語句直接繪製在韓紙上，成為文本自我消解的書寫載體。李鎮雨認為這既是不終止的行動與勞動，他說：「30多年來，我一直在進行這種掩蔽和失效的行為。」
• The concept of ‘self’ loss and intuition-driven creation is also reflected in his works on paper, starting from calligraphy — a form of imprint that is part of the daily activities in his studio. The six works on paper in the exhibition use local materials to explore core themes in oil painting: concealment, the passage of time, and the dissolution of authorship. These works are directly drawn on Korean paper with repeated calligraphic phrases, becoming textual carriers of self-dissolution. Lee Jin Woo views this as an unending action and labour, stating, “For over 30 years, I have been engaging in this act of concealment and nullification.”

Background — Lee Jin Woo

李鎮雨1959 年出生於首爾，目前工作生活於巴黎。他於 1983 年從首爾世宗大學畢業，並在同年前往法國先後就讀於巴黎第八大學以及國立高等美術學院。他的精選個展包括法國亞洲協會（Asia Society France），巴黎（2022）；Leeahn 畫廊，首爾（2021）；東京畫廊 + BTAP，東京（2021）。近期他參與的群展包括：龍美術館，中國上海（2022）和大邱美術館，韓國（2022）。李鎮雨的作品也被眾多公共機構收藏，包括韓國大邱美術館、布魯塞爾博格豪森基金會（Fondation Boghossian）、中國上海龍美術館和巴黎賽努希博物館。2007 年，李鎮雨榮獲法蘭西基金會-Charles Oulmont基金會藝術獎。

Lee Jin Woo was born in Seoul in 1959 and currently works and lives in Paris. He graduated from Sejong University in Seoul in 1983 and subsequently studied at Paris VIII University and the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in France. His selected solo exhibitions include Asia Society France in Paris (2022); Leeahn Gallery, Seoul (2021); and Tokyo Gallery + BTAP, Tokyo (2021). Recent group exhibitions include Long Museum, Shanghai, China (2022), and Daegu Art Museum, Korea (2022). Lee Jin Woo’s works are also collected by numerous public institutions, including the Daegu Art Museum in Korea, Fondation Boghossian in Brussels, Long Museum in Shanghai, and Musée Cernuschi in Paris. In 2007, Lee Jin Woo received the Fondation de France-Fondation Charles Oulmont art award.

Final Tips:

李鎮雨的作品不只是「視覺圖像」，而是一個由消除了「自我」的藝術家所演繹出來的產物。 

Lee Jin Woo’s works are not just ‘visual images’ but are products interpreted by an artist who has removed the ‘self’.

Inside the White Cube: Lee Jin Woo
Date:
2024. 6. 01 – 2024. 9. 07
Venue:
White Cube
香港中環幹諾道中50號｜50 Connaught Road Central, Hong Kong

Courtesy of Artist Lee Jin Woo and White Cube Hong Kong