Issu du feu
Lee Bae shapes charcoal in its raw state, polishes it and sticks it to the canvas. Black is his primary subject, though the artist enjoys highlighting the specific qualities of the material. He mutates it to reveal its density and give body to the black. Lee Bae transforms charcoal flakes into mosaics of contrasting highlights and opacities, with subtle nuances of black. Assembling them side by side, he adds an acrylic medium that penetrates the blank spaces between charcoal pieces. This application immediately creates an appearance of perfect smoothness.
Lee Bae (1956)
The Korean artist Lee Bae divides his time between Paris, where he moved in 1990, and South Korea.
The idea of nature is present in his work through fire and charcoal, but also through the symbolism and intangibility of black. The artist likes to emphasise that the burned wood and coal he uses come from the human hand and its ability to transform this natural material.
