Lee Kang So 《A Field of Becoming》 in New York and the Transition of Korean Art

[Digest of the original coverage]

What matters in Lee’s work is not the representation of an object, but the process through which an object becomes an image and then dissolves into a trace. Recurring motifs in his paintings—ducks, deer, boats, and clouds—are not intended as realistic depictions of specific subjects.

Rather, they function as mediators that invite reflection on the relationship between existence and perception. Appearing and disappearing, becoming distinct and then fading away, these images encourage viewers to experience the gap between image and reality.

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This is also why Lee’s work continues to resonate today. His practice does not rely on direct representations of Korean identity. Instead, it engages with concerns comparable to those explored in conceptual art, performance art, and process-based practices that emerged internationally from the 1960s onward.
 
Lee treated art not as a fixed material outcome, but as an open process unfolding through action, time, relationships, and situations. In this sense, his work provides an important point of connection through which Korean art moves beyond the pictorial achievements of modernism and enters the conditions of contemporary art.