Cheongdo, b. 1956

Lee Bae focuses on the expressive potential of charcoal as a medium. Over the course of three decades, Lee has dedicated himself to creating a diverse range of iterations of Korean painting through his use of charcoal and abstract forms that are self-sufficient and rich in spiritual and energetic qualities. By exploring immanent notions such as yielding, respiring, and circulation, which are embodied by charcoal as a material, Lee's work resonates with themes of life and death, absence and presence, light and shadow, form, and emptiness. Lee's oeuvre spans a wide range of mediums and forms, from drawings to canvas-based works, as well as installations, with each new work serving to expand upon his unique vision and approach. Lee’s works have been featured at museums and institutions worldwide including: Phi Foundation, Montreal, Canada; Indang Museum, Daegu; Wilmotte Foundation, Venice; Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul de Vence; Musée des Beaux-Arts, Vannes; and Musée Guimet, Paris. Among many others, Lee’s work is in the permanent collections of museums including the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon; Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul; Leeum-Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul; Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul de Vence; Musée Guimet, Paris; Baruj Foundation, Barcelona, and Privada Allegro Foundation, Madrid.