Installation view of 《Grotto》 © Chapter II
Chapter II presents Lee Deok Young’s solo exhibition, 《Grotto》 at its
Yeonnam-dong exhibition space on view through August 14.
Lee Deok Young, who has continuously explored the psychological
balance between anxiety and solace formed within social relationships and
personal experiences, spent his time as a resident of the 2024–2025 Chapter II
Residency examining the tensions of the city and observing old buildings and
natural elements to find ways to capture the order contained within them.
Having discovered rules and patterns within forms that appear
complex and disorderly, he unveils an inner landscape where protection and
oppression coexist in this exhibition.
Installation view of 《Grotto》 © Chapter II
”At times, when I spent long hours in my studio, I
would often imagine that one of the walls had collapsed, allowing the outside
nature to encroach inward. Was the wall a social norm, much like the ropes that
bound the silver grass, or a tacit agreement understood in silence? Does the
person who fled into the cave want someone to pull them out of the shelter? Or
perhaps, they might secretly long to break free on their own.” (Lee
Deok Young, Artist Statement – ‘Grotto’ (2026))
Installation view of 《Grotto》 © Chapter II
Lee Deok Young (b. 1990) received a BFA in Painting and an MFA
in Fine Art from Mokwon University. He has held solo exhibitions at Cheongju
Art Studio (2022), ArtSpace128 (2021, 2019), the Lee Ungno Museum (2020), and
Wooyeon Gallery (2016). Lee has also participated in group exhibitions at
prominent institutions, including Chapter II (2024), the Daejeon Museum of Art
(2024, 2023, 2019), the Seoul National University Museum of Art (2022), Gallery
Meme (2022), and the Chang Ucchin Museum of Art (2019).
