Namkyung Lee

The Ambiguous Relationship Between Words 

Memories, distortions, disappearances, afterimages, remnants... Place, space, gaze, surroundings… These words are all highly relevant in describing my visual language. Of course, readers will be able to find generalized connections between these terms, but I prefer them to remain mutable and ambiguous.

Scenes From a Everyday Perspective 

Initially, I place a vase of flowers on a surface and take a picture. I capture the scene before the flowers bloom, and then a few days later, I record the same scene with the flowers in full bloom. I then place it on a table, or move it to a window, and take another picture. The actions I take to create this image, and the way I saw at it at the time, serve as inspiration for my working process.

Methods for Leaving an Image

I first imagine the scene I want to create and work towards recreating this as an image. The act of recording one image in various forms and formats is an important part of my working process. From a macroscopic perspective, every movement of the resulting product, when placed on a wall, windowsill, or table, can also be considered an active part of the work.

The Space of Remaining Images

‘The space where images are left’ is a concept that allows me to visualize my work comprehensively or connotatively. The images in the work begin from the everyday gaze and ordinary surroundings. The act of containing these relieves and avoids heavy or overly profound representations of reality. I attempt to shape a space of subjective taste by uncovering and emphasizing the small aesthetic details found in reality, and infusing them into my work.

IMPRINT

Here, a metal or acrylic plate engraved with a photographic image serves as a low-relief mold. On top of this, Jesmonite (an acrylic resin) is poured to cast the photographic image. The photographic image plate created in this way has a blurry intagliated or embossed quality. It also has an appropriate ambiguity. By repeating this process, the images are layered to create a three-dimensional shape. These surfaces are interlocked to express the effect of depth. While the specific spaces remain unclear, ultimately, a clear, physical visuality is produced. Additionally, this metaphorically suggests that the images remaining in one's mind are recalled, forgotten, and distorted repeatedly, in order to remain as beguiling as possible.