“In my work mankind exists outside of time and space. I search to discover my personal identity, to express love as the ultimate goal, and to understand the ultimate shadow.” -Lee Kui Dae

Lee Kui Dae, a South Korean artist, was born in a small town in 1959. He holds a bachelor of science in art from Seoul University. In 1995, he relocated to France, where he got a master’s degree in art from Paris University. After a long and successful career, Lee has won various honors, shown across the world, and his work can be found in both public and private collections. Now, he divides his time between Paris and Seoul. The first realms he depicts are evocative of myths and legends. Through symbolist representations of four elements, including earth, wind and fire and the repeating themes of bird, sky and man, Lee illustrates the crucial core to the cycles of life: his birth, decay, and ultimate regeneration.

Legends and influences from his Asian heritage inform Lee’s art. They create a perceptible appreciation for silence and contemplation while being painted in a primitive style. His art has an ethereal quality that makes it seem to float above the din of a busy and chaotic world. This artist’s scene has a melancholy nod to simpler times. LEE often illustrates the life cycle from death to rebirth in his mixed-media works using symbolic iconography, such as the four elements. Plaster is sometimes used to build up his surfaces, giving them a relief-like quality. His fields of flowers are tactile and extremely stippled at times. He paints with an expression that recalls classic Chinese film and is often described as “Zen-like,” His paintings reflect this meditative quality in their frames. His most recent works are enigmatic and still. They are lonely rooms with only beds or chairs to furnish their area. In these interpretive theatres, LEE has a way of drawing you in. Despite their gentle tone, his pieces have a profound impact. In his careful palettes, empty spaces, and child-like images, he expresses the universality of legends once recounted and the mystery of their discernment.