Review by Byun Jong Pil(Lee Gil Rae’s exploration of the Roots of Life : ‘A Tree cannot Grow without its Roots)

 Byun Jong-Pil Art Critic, Director of Jeju Museum of Contemporary Art

 “It would not be an overstatement to say that all works of art come from a single pine tree. … As the decomposition of living things or objects brings about the dying of purpose in life or the function of an object, the agglomeration of cells or fragments results in the prevailing of their organic vitality. With the numerous cross-sections of copper pipes that have gone through a physicalization process, I wish to create pine trees that last forever and plant them upon this planet. …”

— excerpt from Lee Gil Rae’s notes, “For a Pine Tree that Never Dies”

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Lee Gil Rae is a sculptor who explores the principles of natural creation and the energies of life. For over 30 years, his art world has focused on the embodiment of an idealized world where humans and nature coexist in a harmonious fashion. Through his ingenious sculptural language, Lee has mainly pursued narratives regarding life’s origins, and his works, represented in the form of ‘trees (mostly pine trees)’, have been the center of such narratives.

Pine trees with deep roots grow everywhere. They grow on rocks and all through stormy weather. As they grow, the trees take on different shapes and forms depending on such surrounding conditions, resulting in each of them forming unique characteristics of their own.

The intense verdant green that exudes throughout the year symbolizes the strong vitality of pine trees. Fascinated by such tenacious vitality, Lee saw pine trees as the ideal subject to represent the themes of nature and life. Known as the ‘sculptor of pine trees’, the artist’s pine tree series has come to represent his entire body of work. The large-scale pine tree works on the walls of his studio in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do, reveal his artistic vision; to express the unchanging vitality of nature as vividly as the ancient pine tree mural of Solgeo. Lee’s Pine Tree series, which exudes a sculptural and oriental painting-like atmosphere, contains the eternity of nature and life.

The harmonization of the subject matter and the material of a work is often what sparks an artist’s creativity. For Lee, those things have been pine trees and copper, accordingly. Since 2003, Lee has explored nature and life through metal instead of more natural materials such as dirt, oyster shells, seashells, and brittle shells, all materials used in his past works, he has used copper pipes as the main means of artistic expression. Copper has certain industrial connotations and is therefore a processed non-natural material. Yet Lee has discovered a similarity between non-natural copper and natural pine trees and has actively utilized it in his work. A part of this discovery was the realization that the surface oxidation of copper was akin to the changes that appeared over time on the surface of pine trees. Pine trees and copper pipes may contrast regarding their natural and man-made characteristics, but their images and symbols converge when considering they both signify eternity.

After cutting thin sections of solid copper pipes, Lee connects them with oxy fuel welding, creating various shapes. The idea is to deconstruct the solid mass and create penetrable shapes with no clear distinction between the inside and out. Hundreds of large and small copper pipe rings are linked in a web of various shapes and are organically combined. The methodology and formation of Lee’s work manifests a visual representation of the complex connectivity among nature, man, space, and time, leading to an exploration of the fundamental relationships between all living things.

Lee draws inspiration for his work from nature. However, his work doesn’t quite correspond to the laws of real-life natural ecology: the forms of his pine tree works are more imaginative than natural and realistic. Lee has expanded the scope of his exploration of natural ecology through shapes and forms that have never been seen before. As an example, his Pine Tree with Three Roots, Millennium Pine Tree Lump, and Old Pine Tree series do not resemble pine trees in their natural state but rather are created by metaphorizing the actual form of the pine tree. In doing so, the artist draws attention to the essence of life and its symbolic meaning. A hugely enlarged 78 lump representing a millennium pine tree’s trunk in the work, Millennium-Pine Tree Lump, and a part of the roots or branches of a pine tree in the work, Old Pine Tree, show how the artist uses enlarged forms to symbolize the source of life. Through his representation of the cross-section of a tree trunk, Lee reveals the temporality recorded in the rings. Similarly, by representing the branches and green pine needles coming back to life in the hollow of the dead tree, he emphasizes the continuity of life and the beauty of nature. In this way, Lee advocates the long history of nature and the order of natural cycles through various forms that metaphorize the parts and wholeness of the pine tree. His work reveals an attitude of reverence towards nature and the unseen processes that conceive and sprout life in nature. This reverence is well expressed through works that depict the interaction between humans and nature, underscoring the fact that humans are also part of nature. This is apparent in the series Human-Shaped Pine Tree and Man Tree, which resemble human figures.

His work is essentially an exploration of natural ecology. Reminding us that nature is constantly breathing right here and now, even when it is hidden from our sight. He has created a variety of shapes that can be recognized as symbols of natural life forms. Copper lumps that resemble seeds, cells, cocoons, and fruits are just some of these objects, created through the artist’s marvelous imagination. They look like products of nature, but the finished product has gone through a type of evolution, sparked by Lee’s imagination. The abstract forms, tangled, writhed, twisted, enlarged, tentacle–like stems reaching for the sky, seem almost as though they might continue to swell and grow exponentially. Some of the shapes seem like monstrous creatures that could be found on some alien planet. These distinctive lump-shaped forms stem from the artist’s long-standing interest in exploring primitive life forms, mining the hidden energies of a nature full of mysteries. Breaking away from the repetition of the ideational shape of the sharp and delicate pine tree, the artist casually reveals the existence of life in a mass that does not fully correspond to the reality of nature, further conveying the uniqueness of the work.

A tree without roots cannot grow. Roots provide a tree's high-profile presence, and that signifies its deep bond and connection to nature. One might say that roots don’t just mean a sustaining system for the tree’s vitality; they also work as a symbolic representation to reflect our complex inner lives and the source of our identity. For example, many artists have used the symbolic representation of roots 79 to explore deep human emotions, social connections, and even the harmony of the cosmic order, rekindling their deep meaning and value. In this case, roots are not just a part of plant elements, but an object that epitomizes the form of existence of natural ecology and the relationship between humans and nature. In this way, the roots of Lee Gil Rae imply the bonds of life.

Among the works presented in this exhibition, the works that run through the second and third floor of the space and the works that are spread on the walls in the form of a net impart the artist’s belief that roots are the medium and source of life’s relationships. In particular, the 7-meter-long installation is a most representative work that illustrates a holistic encounter with the artist’s sculptural language. The large tree trunk rises high, suggesting continuous growth, while roots, both large and small, extend like veins from the floor of the exhibition space in multiple directions, manifesting an intense vitality. The exposed roots are reminiscent of Jeju island’s Gotjawal forest: due to the climate of the volcanic island, trees in Gotjawal are unable to plant their roots in the ground and are left to expose their roots above the ground. The roots then grasp the surrounding rocks in a desperate attempt to sustain their living. With the roots extending across the floor, the entire exhibition space is connected by the powerful energy emanating from the roots. Through this attempt, the artist suggests that the source of his artwork is in the roots and indicates that all the works installed on each floor of the museum are interconnected.

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Lee Gil Rae’s work starts with drawings, which are complete works in and of themselves. Most of his drawings emphasize the vitality of trees, such as how they move like a beating heart, how they wrap around the trunk of a tree, how they are symbiotic, and how they are organically connected. In particular, the two-dimensional drawings using mixed media (iron powder, coffee, ink, and adhesive) and iron pencil are almost tactile, with their rough surface textures, hand movements, and mixing of materials. It appears as if the source of life seems to originate from the center and spreads out in a centrifugal force, or from another point of view seems to converge at the center, giving the impression of a flow of life 80 energy. If you look closely, they look like they are the representation of the skin of nature, blood flow, and the flow of cosmic energy.

Lee selects a single drawing from many and transforms it into a three dimensional work. “Drawings are the blueprints of my works,” Lee says. The process of materializing the images in the drawings is similar to how one might craft an artwork referencing a blueprint. On a large flat workbench, he places a sketch of a selected drawing, divides it into parts, and fills each segment with copper pipe rings according to the shape of the parts. After that, he welds the rings one by one to form sections. The sections are then tapped and bent to form a specific shape. Through repetition of this process, the once-drawing is fully transformed into a massive three dimensional sculpture.

Another sculptural feature of Lee's work is on his expressive technique, which is centered on curves, angles, and openwork. The rigid nature of the metal is expressed through flexible curves and angles, bringing out its naturalness. These curves and angles add imagination and create a sense of dynamism. The penetrative nature of the connected metal rings resembles the division of cells. In particular, the use of openwork technique creates a sense of unity between light and shadow, adding depth and form to the work. For example, the sculpture itself, which is raised from the floor, projects its shadows onto the wall or the floor, hence exuberating a different atmosphere than that of the main body of work. Even the shape of the projection changes depending on the viewing angle and light, inducing the viewer to see the hidden side of natural life that changes every moment.

 In sculpture, when the subtle tension between weight and balance ceases to exist, the result can be awkward and overwhelming. Lee uses the technique of openwork to reduce unnecessary weight and effectively reveal the unique interplay between space and matter. His openwork technique is essentially a way to minimize the weight of the metal material while conveying the concentrated force of nature as lightly and swiftly as possible. The best way to express the feeling of his work would be to say that it is hollow, and yet, somehow, not empty. Rather than saying the work is see-through, it represents the essence of nature where there is no distinction between the inside and the outside, that is, the outside is the inside and the inside is visible on the outside. This is highlighted more clearly by the works that cut out and enlarge objects than by works that pursue figuration. For example, there are works in which only the surface of a pine tree, which is partial, is installed on the wall. Further, there are works in which the roots are enlarged or emphasized and works in which several unstructured masses are placed nonchalantly on the floor. These forms are interpreted as conceptual forms that come close to the primitiveness of natural life Lee has been pursuing.

 All of these processes require physical labor and time from start to finish. Welding, in particular, is a technique that requires a high level of concentration and dexterity. In contemporary art, the amount of physical labor does not determine the value of a work. The quality of an artwork is more than just an investment of labor; it is related to the depth and meaning of the work itself and the creative expression of the artist. The true value of a work comes from the richness of the ideas and messages contained within it and is connected to the essential nature of art, not just the amount of labor. Contemporary sculptors are already sensitive to the demands of the times, which goes beyond the thinking of past generations of sculptors

 But if you stay in the realm of perception, relying on your innate senses, you'll never be able to knock on the door to the spiritual world beyond. That's why sculptors need a sculptural language and grammar that reach beyond decorative and emotional beauty and into their own spiritual world. This is because it is an essential root for building a unique art world. In this context, it is certainly an interesting approach for Lee to use each section of copper pipe as a sculptural language to build a new framework of perception and awareness in his exploration of life. In addition, Lee's philosophical thinking has expanded to include imaginatively created atypical shapes, deconstructing the surface of the pine tree and focusing on its inconspicuous roots. This has strengthened the power of his artwork to stimulate the individual imagination of the viewer by making them reflect on their feelings, thoughts, and experiences of nature.

 In conclusion, Lee's work breaks down the boundaries of the duality between the material and the supernatural, nature and the artificial, and brings us face-to face with the moment when the immortality of nature and the human touch come together. His work invites us to experience the eternity of nature and our cyclical connection to it. Reminding us that roots are the source of life, the form of bonding, and the most primordial source of human power, they invite us to reflect on the relationship between nature and itself, our relationship with nature, and the origins of that relationship.

  As Lee continues to explore natural vitality, he speaks about how content he is with his destined life as an artist. His honest words seem credible, and they remind us of the pine tree, after surviving all the storms of life, displaying the greatness of living things in nature. Like the pine tree, he has been building his sculptural language over the course of a long and hard life as an artist. Nothing in nature is immutable. But the essence of nature is everlasting. As such, Lee's search for the root of life continues.