National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art 'Artist of the Year 2020' Awarded to Seulgi Lee

Writer Seulgi Lee

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art announced on the 25th that Seulgi Lee (49) has been selected as the final winner of the 'Artist of the Year Award 2020.'

In this exhibition, Seulgi Lee presented the spatial installation work "Dongdongdarigeori," inspired by the traditional Korean architectural element of doors and windows lattice (munsal) and folk songs. This work reinterpreted tradition in a modern and playful way through a sophisticated yet unique site-specific installation. It received high marks for delicately revealing a metaphor for relationships in the era of COVID-19.

Judge Youngchul Lee, professor at Kaywon School of Art & Design, commented, "It stood out with its simple yet unique sensibility and poetic atmosphere." Lolita Jablonskien?, chief curator of the National Gallery of Lithuania, said, "The work has a unique atmosphere reflecting the artist's dual identity of moving between Korea and France," giving high praise for the harmony of traditional and playful elements. Christopher Ryu, curator at the Whitney Museum, explained, "The installation stood out for mixing various contrasting elements into an elegant yet intimate space, and the fact that an artist with an identity as a kind of immigrant was selected is meaningful in itself."

Exhibition view of 'Dongdongdarigori' by artist Seulgi Lee.

Seulgi Lee has been living and working in France since the early 1990s. She expresses her interest in everyday objects and language, as well as the fundamental forms of nature, through sculptures or installations emphasizing formality.

Yun Beommo, director of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, stated, "She modernly reinterpreted the concept of 'beauty of emptiness' based on traditional materials such as dancheong (traditional multicolored paintwork) and munsal." He added, "I would like to express my gratitude to all four sponsored artists who showed meaningful works through this exhibition despite the difficult situation caused by COVID-19."

The 'Artist of the Year Award' is an art prize jointly hosted by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art and SBS Cultural Foundation since 2012. Four visual artists are selected to support the production of new works and hold exhibitions to choose the final winner.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.