Kwai Fung Art Gallery of Hong Kong proudly presents “From the Third Hand of the Creator”, the latest solo exhibition of Korean sculptor Lee, Jaehyo in July 2010.

Born in Hapchen, South Korea, in 1965 and graduated from Hong-ik University with a Bachelor degree in Plastic Art, Lee, Jaehyo creates three-dimensional works from assembly of natural materials, such as wood pieces, branches and leaves, or from installation of bolts and nails on wood pieces, which carry a strong personal character and open up a distinctive direction in contemporary Korean art. Widely exhibited in Korea, Japan, China, the United Kingdom and the United States, his works have won many awards, including the Grand Prize of Osaka Triennial (1998), Young Artist of the Day presented by the Ministry of Culture of Korea (1998) and the Prize of Excellence in the 2008 Olympic Landscape Sculpture Contest.

Each piece of Lee’s works is a dedicated design and is executed through complex composing, sculpturing, grinding and refining. Wood pieces are piled together to form the voluminous body for sculpturing into various elegant shapes. Countless nails and bolts are driven into wood pieces which are then burnt and grinded into dazzling objects. The grouping of a large number of the ingredient, wood pieces or nails, together under a piece of work invariably bring extremely fascinating and strong visual impacts through the repetition of the images of such ingredient units and create a special power in the work. At the same time, the overall structures and forms of his works are combinations of Minimalist geometric curves and lines which are as natural as if they were drawn by God and which are rich in hyper-modernist imaginations and yet timeless.

Even though Lee applies intricate craftsmanship, the resulting works always retain, and in fact manifest, the innate beauty of the natural materials employed. His wood works are embroidered with the original growth rings and, in his nails works, the elementary metallic shades are shining. They remind the audience of the common pulse shared between man and the Nature, which has probably been much forgotten.

The art of Lee, Jaehyo is built upon a typical oriental spirit. Under this kind of belief, man accepts his identity as an integral part of the universe, and he strives to contain himself and control his desires, in a pursuit of a unity and a harmonious co-existence between him and the universe.

In “From the Third Hand of the Creator”, Kwai Fung Art Gallery will present about 30 pieces of the representative works of the artist, including the Wood Series and the Nails Series.

The exhibition will continue until September 30, 2010.