Seoul-based artist Lee Sangsoo proves that you don’t need to be true-to-life to create striking works of art. Instead, he masterfully bends, twists, and coils strips of spray-painted metal to capture the essence of different kinds of animals in minimalistic, abstract sculptures.
While Sangsoo’s style may be simple, his portfolio proves the breadth of its potential. With just a couple of metal pieces, he creates stretching Siamese cats, pink flamingoes, and perched macaws, to name a few. The mesmerizing movement of the curled medium is both effective at communicating the shape of the animal and mesmerizing to look at.
“The painting is in an imaginary space, but the sculpture is real,” Sangsoo explains to My Modern Met. “You can see, you can touch, and you can feel the air. It exists as human beings exist. Since we live in a three-dimensional space, it is attractive to do three-dimensional art.” These understated forms are not only elegant in their simplicity but also extremely playful. Each one appears to embody the personality of the animal, as well as its shape.
You can view some of Lee’s art in person at Kiaf SEOUL, and keep up to date with his latest sculptures by following the artist on Instagram.
Korean artist Lee Sangsoo creates strikingly minimalist metal sculptures which capture the basic forms of different animals.
Lee Sangsoo: Instagram
My Modern Met granted permission to feature photos by Lee Sangsoo.
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