The contemporary Asian artworks of Lee Bae, Jung Yeongdoo and Wang Qingsong

The first time I made a visit to the Daegu Art Museum was for the solo exhibition of the celebrated avant-garde artist Kusama Yayoi – one of the most important living forerunner of pop art to come out of Japan. I had a fill of her obsession with polka dots – plastered on canvasses, walls, and bizarre figures – all tangible evidences of her creative mind. 

I came back to the museum weeks ago, this time on a field assignment commissioned by Colorful Daegu - a government organization that runs the official webpage of Daegu City. And this time, the museum comes even more replete with contemporary Asian artworks of Lee Bae and Jung Yeondoo - two of Korea’s representative artists, and Wang Qingsong from China. 

Paris-based artist Lee Bae showcased his obsession in all his works: charcoal. 

A Korean photographer/blogger attends to an important 
phone message near Lee Bae's abstract artwork.

In this untitled work reminiscent of Jackson Pollack’s drip painting technique, Lee Bae expresses abstractionism using the medium that puts him in touch with his roots. In Korea, charcoal is traditionally considered as life’s energy source. 

Charcoal in ominous shapes mounted on the wall.

These skull-shaped wall sculptures, made of small pieces of charcoal, show his sense and interpretation of space. As Henri-Francois Debailleux wrote in his review of Lee Bae’s 2011 exhibition at the Musee d’Art Moderne in Saint Etienne, France, these works accentuated the “extraordinary power of black”.

Another Korean artist who has gained wide public interest is Jung Yeongdoo, whose art is focused on ordinary people’s perception of reality and dreams. His Wonderland is a series of photos recreating children’s art into real life.

Wang QIngsong’s works are satiric depiction of the current reality in China – lost in the entanglement of capitalism and the influence of Western culture. This photograph, One Dream, One World is a potent expression of his disdain at the profit-oriented multinational corporations and the consequent deluge of consumerism. 

One World, One Dream 1000 x 800

Follow You 640 x 384

In Follow You, the artist depicted the excessively structured education system in China, leaving many students disgruntled and unable to appreciate the true learning process.

These great artists have significantly contributed a cachet to Asian contemporary art scene and will be remembered for their powerful, and often mischievous expressions of their artistry. The audiences who come to get their fill of the “food for thought” evoked by each piece of artwork will certainly leave gratified.

* Photo credits:
http://www.yeondoojung.com/artworks_view_wonderland.php?no=88
http://www.designboom.com/art/wang-qingsong-china-pavilion-venice-artbiennale-2013/