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Lee Sunjoo

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Introduction of Artist
Lee Sunjoo collected items in daily use such as stationeries and stamps since childhood. As an adult, she has collected Bojagi containing Korean traditions and sentiments, and milk glasses used in ordinary American homes. With this interest, she has realized that collections are a medium through which she reflects on the time and space she has lived in. The collections filled with her affection naturally lead to her artwork, and instead of language, she reveals who she is. The literal meaning of an object is “an object that exists objectively,” but Lee Sunjoo embodies the meaning they contain through a restrained frame composition rather than telling about the appearance of an object. Her still life photography is a discourse on invisible beings, such as social and cultural sentiments and the artist's emotions.
In ‘Black Memorabilia’ series, she placed objects in a lightless space and had a photoshoot still objects barely visible. It told about the beings that are invisible but existent.
Afterwards, through the 'Stack' series, the desire contained in the act of stacking were expressed, and sincerity and love were expressed through the 'Bottali' series.
Lee Sunjoo, who used to do artwork with daily stuff that are nothing special, tries to widen her oeuvres through her new artwork series ‘Gold’. Gold has been regarded as a symbol of wealth and an object of eternal value. She asks back the temporality of value by coating gold on creatures that wither and disappear with the passing of time, such as fruit and egg. Even if a banana is coated with gold to make it more precious, it is impossible to go against the natural order of living things that eventually turn into water. Despite an immortal object, the gold also has no choice but to fade over time or due to the absence of the object to which it gave meaning. Her photography is an ironic answer to the question, ‘Is there an eternal existence in the world?’. This can be seen as an extension of existence and absence, value and ephemerality, birth and extinction, which the artist has constantly conveyed in her artworks.
Lee Sunjoo hopes that we all will join her journey to find the essence inherent in objects. Although the memories and meanings that the still life in her photography evokes in each individual will be different, a trip to the calm and serene her space will provide a comfortable rest, and our everyday life will become more abundant.

Lee Sunjoo studied photography at Chung-Ang University and graduated from the Department of Photography at the same graduate school. Starting with Space 291 in 2016, she hosted numerous solo exhibitions at K.O.N.G Gallery, Youngeun Museum of Contemporary Art, KP Gallery, etc., and actively participated in group exhibitions abroad in the United States and Spain. Moreover, in 2018, she won the Gold Medal at the San Francisco Bay International Photography Festival, USA, and has received artist awards from leading domestic and international institutions such as Gallery Now, Julia Margaret Cameron Award, and Critical Mass. She published the Wanderlust3 photo book in 2017, and continues to work on invisible beings through still life photography.

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