Lee Bae Brushstroke-a15, 2025

Lee Bae started a new series titled Brushstroke around 2020. The most apparent feature of this series is the fact that, once Lee starts, he can hardly hesitate or change the movement of his brush. In this sense, Lee moves into a realm that beholds the essence of East Asian ink-wash painting and calligraphy which are practices in which how an artist sets the brush to paper and wields the brush are of paramount importance. Brushwork and the shades of ink set the tone for the whole piece.

To listen to the voice of charcoal, Lee seeks to activate the memory deeply embedded in his body, by which he guides the movement of his hand. Each stroke is an unfolding of psychological time. As a result, his brushwork can be seen as the self-initiated performance of the medium itself, as well as the crystallization of the artist’s thoughts accumulated over a long period of time. Traces of chance and contingency are also present in Lee’s brushstrokes, manifested by tremors of the artist’s hand, as well as by twists and pauses of the lines. Lee’s broad brushstrokes seem to have a life of their own, a liberated, spirited, and vigorous life that exists in itself and for itself.