The MMCA will host a retrospective of Lee Seung Jio (1941–1990), who revealed a new horizon after the era of informel with his exploration of basic forms and optical works. Lee Seung Jio was one of the main artists of the group Origin, which led geometric abstraction in 1962, when academic realism and impressionist works formed the mainstream of the Korean art scene. Until he died in 1990, Lee consistently worked on a series titled Nucleus, through which he continued experimenting with the essence of painting and constructed an original body of work using repetitive and tenacious brushwork that culminated in forms reminiscent of metal “pipes.” By examining the resonance within the frames of Lee's paintings, this exhibition contemplates the significance of geometric abstraction in art history as a means of logical construction and internal reflection. The exhibition presents Lee Seung Jio's life and oeuvre, following the trajectory of an artist who attempted to overcome the finite nature of the painting space.
