Installation view of 《Variables》 © NOON CONTEMPORARY
NOON CONTEMPORARY presents a solo exhibition
《Variables》 by artist Lee
Kangwon, on view through May 10. 《Variables》 highlights the artistic practice of Lee Kangwon, who has
consistently explored the relationship between image and material through
sculptural acts of carving, attaching, and casting.
This exhibition focuses on the
indeterminate elements that arise throughout the process of making, presenting
works that respond—through the artist’s distinct formal language—to unexpected
situations encountered beyond the bounds of a predetermined plan.
Lee Kangwon’s work originates from an
intuitive attraction to particular forms or textures encountered by chance.
Initial plans soon give way, and as the process unfolds, he frequently finds
himself confronted with unforeseen circumstances. The work thus evolves as a
continual journey of losing and rediscovering its direction. Ultimately, his
practice is less the execution of a deliberate plan than an “event” that comes
into being through deviation and uncertainty.
Installation view of 《Variables》 © NOON CONTEMPORARY
The exhibition title 《Variables》 refers to the opaque conditions
encountered throughout this process. Unforeseen flaws or fragmentary situations
that deviate from the initial plan are not treated as obstacles; rather, they
function as cues that trigger and propel the work forward.
Within this mode of practice, neither rigid
order nor a fully resolved form serves as a primary criterion. Instead, the
work centers on a playful process of following the unfamiliar gestures revealed
by materials themselves. The fragmented and partial appearance of forms
reflects the artist’s willingness to embrace chance occurrences arising during
the act of construction.
The works presented in this exhibition draw
from forms derived from urban structures—such as railings or fences—or from
patterns found on everyday surfaces, yet they are offered as fragments detached
from their original functional contexts.
Employing a range of materials including
paper, plywood, fabric, plaster, and cement, the works unfold through
repetitions of similar forms or variations rendered in different substances
during the process of making.
Installation view of 《Variables》 © NOON CONTEMPORARY
In this process, pigments and adhesives
seep and flow through gaps and holes, while traces of sawing, loose threads,
and metal pins used for fixing are left unremoved. Likewise, fibers of Manila
hemp and air bubbles embedded in plaster and cement casts taken from molds
reveal the sculptural act in its raw immediacy.
The works do not construct a singular
meaning or narrative; instead, each occupies the space with an independent
presence. Here, forms do not aspire toward completion but remain loosely
assembled or fragmented, embracing the variables that emerge in the course of
making. Hung on the wall or placed on the floor, the sculptures retain the
traces of action, exposing both the process through which form comes into being
and the tactile qualities of the materials themselves.
