Text and photos: David Harris
SEA HYUN LEE
at Kunsthall 3,14 until 9 June
As one enters the exhibition space at Kunsthall 3,14, the resonance of the large-scale red paintings is both impactful and mesmerising. It’s unusual to encounter works of such scale — particularly monochrome ones — in Norway. Yet, at first, the subject of these massive paintings eludes us.
From a distance, the paintings appear abstract. Swathes of seemingly careless brush marks interrupt pristine canvases with strokes that recall abstract expressionism. The single colour employed — a vibrant, warning red — reinforces this sense of abstraction, as if the artist has opened his last tin of paint and hurriedly covered the surface with an oversized brush.
...Read moreText and photos: David Harris
SEA HYUN LEE
at Kunsthall 3,14 until 9 June
As one enters the exhibition space at Kunsthall 3,14, the resonance of the large-scale red paintings is both impactful and mesmerising. It’s unusual to encounter works of such scale — particularly monochrome ones — in Norway. Yet, at first, the subject of these massive paintings eludes us.
From a distance, the paintings appear abstract. Swathes of seemingly careless brush marks interrupt pristine canvases with strokes that recall abstract expressionism. The single colour employed — a vibrant, warning red — reinforces this sense of abstraction, as if the artist has opened his last tin of paint and hurriedly covered the surface with an oversized brush.
Squinting, one might glimpse a nuclear detonation hidden among the brush marks — the iconic mushroom cloud, a barely discernible threat, so abstract that one wonders if it’s truly there.
Yet the paintings invite us closer.
As we approach, the nuclear spectre dissolves, revealing an unseen world. Landscapes filled with countless communities and figures emerge in astonishing detail. The red becomes our new normal as the huge canvases envelop us, inviting us to explore their endless, exquisitely painted narratives. It’s no surprise that each painting takes six months to complete, as the artist renders every landscape and figure with breathtaking precision.
Korean artist Sea Hyun Lee served in the military within the DMZ (Demilitarised Zone) between North and South Korea. His works are based on memories of staring through an infrared camera while on patrol.
It’s refreshing to encounter an exhibition that operates on so many levels — physical, intellectual, and emotional. Lee’s paintings can be seen as a metaphor for how the West perceives North Korea: as a misunderstood, abstract nation overshadowed by a vague nuclear threat. Yet, through these works, the artist invites us beyond the media-driven narrative to witness the landscapes, activities, people, and beauty that form Korea itself.
Between Red runs until 9 June.
