Lee, Jaesam
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Charcoal _ A Symbol of Death and Rebirth, Creation and Dissolution
Lee Jae-Sam is an artist who has redefined the artistic potential of charcoal within contemporary Korean art, establishing a distinctive creative world of his own. While charcoal is traditionally used for sketches or underdrawings, he has transcended these limitations through relentless experimentation and exploration, earning recognition as a pioneer in elevating charcoal painting as an artistic medium. Since 1998, and continuing to this day in 2025, the artist has ceaselessly researched materials and techniques to overcome the inherent limitations of charcoal, such as its lack of precision and durability.
He handcrafts canvases using unbleached cotton cloth to harmonize with charcoal derived from trees harvested from forests, securing the charcoal layers with rosin and glue while applying UV coating to enhance durability. Through these processes, he expands the physical properties of charcoal into the realm of painting. By developing his unique style of geom-muk (black ink charcoal painting), he has elevated charcoal painting to an artistic domain comparable to oil and acrylic painting.
Lee Jae-Sam’s charcoal paintings vividly capture the rhythm of his breath, movement, and delicate touch. As he rubs and layers charcoal directly with his fingertips, each touch leaves an imprint on the surface, creating a distinctive texture. This process emphasizes the performative act of creation—executed by hand rather than a brush—demonstrating the transformative moment when raw charcoal, a primal material, gains new life through the artist’s hands. To ensure that the charcoal adheres firmly to the canvas, the artist undergoes an intensive, laborious process of layering, rubbing, and dusting off the charcoal repeatedly.
Beyond mere technique, this method embodies the artist’s perseverance, dedication, and deep immersion in his craft. The depth created by the fine charcoal particles settling onto the canvas becomes a visual manifestation of time, emotion, and his profound connection with nature. For Lee Jae-Sam , charcoal is a sacred medium—by using charcoal, a material obtained through the combustion of trees, to recreate the very image of trees, he symbolically reincarnates the soul of the forest.
As he states, “The tree is the origin of charcoal, charcoal is the transformed essence of the tree, and it is the final remnant of the forest’s soul.” The trees that once existed undergo a cycle of dissolution and rebirth, returning as charcoal, which in turn is reincarnated into tree forms within his artwork. This cyclical transformation embodies nature’s time, memory, and traces of existence, reinterpreted into a new visual language. This exhibition highlights the artist’s endeavor to redefine the essence and significance of charcoal as an eco-friendly medium, conveying a profound contemplation on the cyclical world of nature and humanity, creation and dissolution, life and death, while delivering an ecological message.
CV | Lee, Jaesam
Lee, Jaesam
b. 1960
Education
1989 M.F.A. Granduated form Graduate School, Hongik University
1984 B.F.A. Granduated from College of Fine Arts, Gangneung National University
Solo Exhibitions
2025
Moonlight Journey 2020-2024 , Savina Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
2019
The 3rd Park Soo Keun Art Award Exhibition , Park Soo Keun Museum, Yangju, South Korea
2018
Lune, Le 6ème sens , Arts Center KUH, Daejeon, South Korea
2017
Moonscape , Mimesis Art Museum, Paju, South Korea
2016
Moonlight in Forest , Haeum Museum of Art, Suwon, South Korea
2015
Moonlight Garden , Shin Museum of Art, Cheongju, South Korea
2013
Moonlight Anthology , Space K, Gwacheon, South Korea
2011
Embedding the Moonlight , Artside Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
2005
Between - Beyond the Forest , Ieyoung Contemporary Art Museum, Yongin, South Korea
2000
B eyond Portrait , Posco Art Museum, Seoul, South Korea
1999 Charcoal on Canvas , Hanwon Art Museum, Seoul, South Korea
And many others
Group Exhibitions
2024
Amulet-Blue Dragon , Museum Wave, Seoul, South Korea
2023
SeMA Collection: Abide , Gangdong Arts Center, Seoul, South Korea
2022
Gyeonwolsa: Even when looking at the same moon, it looks different depending on the mood, Woljeon Museum of Art Icheon, Icheon, South Korea
I am Sorry! I am not real, Mom! , Jeju Museum of Art, Jeju, South Korea
2021
Splendor of Monochrome , Jeonnam International Sumuk Biennale 2021, Mokpo Culture & Art Center, Mokpo, South Korea
The Breath of the Earth after the DMZ , Yangpyeong Art Museum, Yangpyeong, South Korea
2020
Beneath the Forest , Seoul Botanic Park, Seoul, South Korea
2019
Korean Art , Opera Gallery, Dubai
2018
Where is our Home?, World Korean Grand Art Festival, Seoul Arts Center, Seoul, South Korea
Enlightened Mind – The Artists’ Way to Meditation, Savina Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea
Korean Contemporary, Opera Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
2017
Korean’s Spiric , Artveras Contemporary, Geneva
2016
Ansan Excursion , Danwon Art Museum, Ansan, South Korea
Being in Nature , Museum SAN, Wonju, South Korea
2015
Color Pool , Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Ansan, South Korea
Fermented Souls , Kate Shin Gallery, New York
Élan Vital , Pyeong Chang Biennale, Pyeong Chang, South Korea
Water also Dreams , Jeju Museum of Art, Jeju, South Korea
Beyond the borders , Culture Station Seoul 284, Seoul, South Korea
2014
A love of the Poetical , Woljeon Museum of Art Icheon, Icheon, South Korea
Garden, The 1st Anniversary Exhibition of MMCA Seoul , MMCA, Seoul, South Korea
2013
The Wind that Wakes Bamboo , Gwanju National Museum, Gwanju, South Korea
The Wood of Trees, from Trees... , Museum of Modern art Chungmungyu, Ansan, South Korea
Poetry of Waterfall , Songwon Art Center, Seoul, South Korea
A Scene from a Memory, Ode To Art, Singapore
2012
Daegu Art Factory-Suchang , Daegu Art Factory, Daegu, South Korea
Tagging Art Works , Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Ansan, South Korea
2011
Christie Asian Contemporary Art, Hong Kong
2010
Korea Tomorrow, Setec Convention Hall, Seoul, South Korea
Yeosu International Art Festival , Jinnam Culture Art Center, Yeosu, South Korea
Mind Drawing , Gana Art Center, Seoul, South Korea
2009
Ours Portaits – Expressions of Life, Expressions of the Times , Gana Art Center, Seoul, South Korea
7 Things I want to Know about Arts , Icheon Art Hall, Icheon, South Korea
And many others
Main Collections
- Cheongnamdae, Korea
- Gangneung City Hall, Korea
- Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Korea
- Hana Bank, Korea
- Haslla Art World, Korea
- Ieyoung Contemporary Art Museum, Korea
- Kolon Group, Korea
- Mimesis Art Museum, Korea
- MMCA Art Bank, Korea
- National Assembly Smart Work Center, Korea
- National Museum of Modern and
- Contemporary Art, Korea
- Seoul Museum of Art, Korea
- Shin Museum of Art, Korea
And many others
List of Works
PINK MOON
130×500cm, Charcoal on Canvas, 2018
MOONSCAPE
160×720cm, Charcoal Acrylic on Canvas, 2017
BEYOND THERE
291×364cm, Charcoal on Canvas, 2006
BEYOND THERE
194×777cm, Charcoal on Canvas, 2007
MOONSHINE
291×388cm, Charcoal on Canvas, 2010
MOONSHINE
454×181cm, Charcoal on Canvas, 2009
BEYOND THERE
194×777cm, Charcoal on Canvas, 2016
MOONSCAPE
181×682cm, Charcoal Acrylic on Canvas, 2012
MOONSCAPE
227×543cm, Charcoal on Canvas, 2013
MOONSCAPE
194×518cm, Charcoal on Canvas, 2019
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