Seung-taek Lee

Born 1932 | Kowon
Lives and works Seoul

Through his wide-ranging practice that encompasses painting, sculpture, performance, photography, and installation, Seung-taek Lee has played a vital role in the South Korean post-war avant-garde. For the 14th Gwangju Biennale, Lee presents Untitled (You Can Make Anything With It) 1967–70/2023, a sculpture that the audience can interact with by touching and moving around the individual wooden battens and ropes that comprise it. The title of the sculpture, which suggests that spectators could make ‘anything’ using its constituents, suggests a sense of open-endedness that prompts audience participation. In fact, when it was first presented, it was accompanied by a sign that read: ‘Looking alone can be an act of participation.’ A work of art that rejects the artist’s complete authority over it, the sculpture demonstrates Lee’s attitude towards pre-established norms and conventions.

Seung-taek Lee, Untitled (You Can Make Anything With It) 1967–9/2001/2023. Wood, rope and cloth. Dimensions variable. Courtesy the artist and Gallery Hyundai. Installation view, 14th Gwangju Biennale (2023). Image courtesy Gwangju Biennale Foundation. Photo: glimworkers