Jungjin Lee: Thing

Location:

picturehouse + thesmalldarkroom

437 West 16th Street #3rd Floor New York, NY 10011

Event:

We’re hosting an artist talk and reception with Jungjin Lee on Thursday, September 25 in celebration of Thing, the artist’s new title with Datz Press. Lee will be speaking about the book in the context of her wider practice in bookmaking.

A selection of Lee’s titles will be available for purchase the talk. Please email [email protected] to reserve a copy in advance.

Jungjin Lee’s “Thing” series consists of works capturing everyday objects in intimate close-ups, which are then printed in black and white on Korean handmade paper. Through a meditative shooting process, the artist distills the essence of the subject, removing all extraneous elements. Backgrounds and shadows are eliminated, and the forms are simplified, while the empty spaces are filled with the artist’s emotions and internalized thoughts. In particular, the white spaces surrounding each dark object reflect an Eastern painting and calligraphy concept of “emptiness.” Through this blank space, the objects acquire a new meaning. Lee raises questions about the artistic role of exploring and expressing the essence of existence through observation. This series holds a unique and distinctive position in the artist's oeuvre, which is generally comprised of landscapes. The vitality of the Thing series, which had remained unaltered for 20 years, is transformed today into an elegant object through hanji (Korean handmade paper) and traditional handbinding techniques. We are proud to present Thing, an artist's book with a beautiful presence created in collaboration between Jungjin Lee and Datz Press, embodying Korean materials and characteristics.