Lee Sung-keun wins installation award at Dubai's 'For the Creative by the Creative'
A total of 29 artists from 16 countries were invited to the exhibition co-organized by Artentirous and Paramount Hotel Dubai, running April 12 to 19.
Lee's iconic installations are created with oil-tempered steel wire, widely used for springs, that are wrapped in hanji, traditional Korean mulberry paper. The wire is woven into a mesh in round shapes reminiscent of cocoons or clouds.
Lee invited exhibition visitors to walk around the suspended installation and observe how the changing light and shadow continuously transform their perspective around the installation work. The 360-degree digital screen that features the installation enhanced the immersive experience, according to the Arte LSK, a PR agency which represents Lee.
'The artists featured this year exemplify bold creativity. Their work surpasses geographical boundaries and reimagines the potential of art in an interconnected global landscape,' said Will Yaya, curator of the exhibition and the editor of Artenturous Magazine.
The award ceremony was attended by members of the Dubai royal family, H.E. Yaqoob Al Ali and H.H. Sheikh Juma bin Maktoum Al Maktoum.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
an hour ago
- Korea Herald
Dystopian novel 'All About 247,' immigration-themed 'This Is Your Country' selected for English translation
The Daesan Foundation announced Tuesday that it has selected 15 projects in seven languages for this year's grants for the translation, research and publication of Korean literary works, with 200 million won in funding. Launched in 2010, the initiative aims to introduce Korean literature to global audiences by supporting translations and international publication. This year's selection includes four English-language projects, one in French, two in German, two in Spanish, two in Japanese, three in Chinese and one in Italian. By genre, the selection comprises two poetry collections, 12 novels and one academic study. Judges prioritized translators' abilities above all, but also considered the literary value of the works and their potential in overseas markets, the foundation said. The works chosen for English translation include "The Fantasy Shop by Future Mart," a poetry collection by Kang Eun-gyo that won last year's Daesan Literary Award, and "Worrying About Rabbits on a Winter Night," a poetry collection by Yoo Hee-kyoung. Other English projects are the novel "All About 247," a dystopian work by Kim Hee-sun that explores a post-pandemic society shaped by the aftermath of COVID-19. The book will also be translated into German and Spanish. Another is "This Is Your Country" by Lee U, set in an immigration detention center. It will be translated by Paige Morris, who co-translated Han Kang's "We Do Not Part."
Korea Herald
2 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Minho revisits his first theater role in ‘Waiting for Waiting for Godot'
A year after his stage debut was cut short, SHINee's Choi Minho is stepping back into the role that first introduced him to theater. Choi will once again play Val in 'Waiting for Waiting for Godot,' opening Sept. 16 in Seoul's Daehangno. The production is an homage to Samuel Beckett's absurdist classic 'Waiting for Godot.' Written by American playwright Dave Hanson, the comedy centers on two overlooked understudies, Esther and Val, who find themselves trapped backstage, endlessly waiting for their chance to perform. Last year, the Korean premiere ended prematurely for Choi when veteran actor Lee Soon-jae, his stage partner in the role of Esther, withdrew from the production due to health issues. 'This was my very first play, and the role felt destined for me,' Choi said during a press conference Tuesday in Seoul. 'When I first began rehearsals last year, I thought, 'This character is in exactly the same situation I'm in. His longing to be on stage is exactly what I feel.'' Acknowledging his disappointment at the sudden ending, he intends to channel it into this new run. 'This play carries messages of encouragement and resilience. That's what I want to deliver to the audience.' He added that rehearsals brought back memories of his early trainee days. 'Back then, all I wished for was to stand on stage and be recognized. That innocent desire of my younger self came back to me through this role. It reminded me why I wanted to perform in the first place.' Choi and actor Lee Sang-yun will alternate in the role of Val, while veteran actors Park Geun-hyung and Kim Byung-chul share the role of Esther. 'Waiting for Waiting for Godot' runs through Nov. 16. hwangdh@
Korea Herald
3 hours ago
- Korea Herald
How a childhood rebel became Korea's most iconic public campaigner
'Ad genius' maybe. But at heart, Jeski is still just a doodler with something to say When other children sang and danced during performance at kindergarten, 5-year-old Yi Je-seok lay flat on the floor. 'I wasn't in the mood,' Yi said. 'You need a certain spark to dance. I just didn't feel it that day. I know dancing regardless of how you feel is important in a group-oriented society. But I just couldn't do it.' His mother was mortified and took him home. But for Yi — better known today as Jeski — it marked the beginning of a lifelong refusal to conform. A rebel from the start, he drew comics instead of studying, mocked authority, and pursued instinct over expectation. He had barely any money and barely spoke English, but he flew to New York to study advertising. There, he swept global competitions, stunned the world with a poster of gun barrels on telephone poles, and more recently pasted an image of Kim Jong-un behind bars on the iron gate of North Korea's Geneva mission — an act that got him chased by North Korean agents. Back in Korea, he now runs the country's only ad agency devoted entirely to public interest campaigns — still doodling, still defying, and still doing things his own way. Rebel artist in rigid system Yi, 42, grew up in Daegu, a conservative city where discipline was prized and creativity was frowned upon. While his classmates studied, he had no interest in studying. He doodled a lot. 'I made comic strips often targeting authoritarian and overbearing teachers.' he said. 'It's always fun to mess with dictators.' Though punished regularly, his classmates loved his work, crowing around to see who he roasted next. He calls those early doodles the start of his career. 'Even now, I just create stories. It's the same as when I was a kid.' Only his art teacher supported him, encouraged him to go to Keimyung University's art school in Daegu. Yi studied hard and graduated with an almost perfect GPA, but hit a wall upon graduation. He failed to win a single competition or enter a major advertising company. 'The label of 'provincial college' was too heavy,' he said. 'It didn't matter how good I was.' Reinventing himself in New York Determined not to be boxed in, Lee set his sights on studying abroad. His older brother, a medical school graduate working night shifts in emergency rooms, helped fund his tuition. In 2006, Lee enrolled at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. It was lonely at first. Poor English and empty pockets made him feel invisible. But that changed when he enrolled in a course by Frank Anselmo, the award-winning creative director of BBDO. For a class project, Lee chose the theme of air pollution, but refused to go the sentimental route with dying polar bears. 'I didn't want to focus on animals' pain. I wanted to talk about our pain,' he explained. As he biked around the city to clear his mind, he saw an old five-story brick building. Blue sky, sunlit walls and a chimney billowing black smoke. Suddenly, he thought of a gun, the kind a cowboy twirls after a shootout. He snapped a photo, found a gun image online and merged the two. A chilling visual was made showing smoke rising from a chimney like gunfire. At the library, he discovered that air pollution kills 60,000 people annually. That became his copy. 'Air pollution kills 60,000 people a year.' He submitted the piece to The One Show College Competition. It won gold in the unconventional media category. 'After that, everything changed,' Yi said. His classmates noticed him. Professors supported his work. He was not invisible anymore. His secret? Language barrier One hot summer day, he climbed out of a New York subway station, panting under a heavy backpack. Ahead of him, a heavyset elderly woman struggled up the stairs. 'I suddenly thought, what would this be like for someone with a disability?' he recalled. 'To them, these stairs might be harder than climbing Mount Everest.' The next day, he returned, took photos, and created a campaign that showed subway stairs morphing into a mountain. The tagline: 'For some, it's Mt. Everest.' Another sentence was added below. 'Help build more facilities for disabled people.' That campaign earned him a Clio Award, which was one of many accolades he would go on to win. Looking back, he believes the secret to his success in the US was his poor English. 'Because I couldn't speak English well, I had to make ads that spoke for themselves. No words — just clear, powerful visuals.' After internships at JWT New York and BBDO, Lee was hired by Foote, Cone & Belding. It should have been a dream come true. It wasn't. 'Even at big advertising firms in New York, creativity had limits,' he said. 'This is because clients, big companies, don't want risk. They want safe, sellable ideas.' He began to feel more alive after hours, working on his own projects — especially those tied to social justice. He pitched ideas to NGOs and advocacy groups. One, in particular, catapulted him back into the spotlight. Still shaken by the post-9/11 atmosphere in New York in 2008, (there were military personnel with rifles standing in subway stations), Lee thought about the endless cycle of retaliation between the US and the Islamic world. 'I kept thinking about reincarnation. The idea that what goes around, comes around.' He created a poster of weapons — tanks, grenades, fighter jets — arranged in a perfect circle, a literal cycle of violence. The copy read, 'What goes around comes around.' He pasted them around New York, timed to President Barack Obama's inauguration. The work went viral, winning awards and global media attention. Back home, Korean media dubbed him an advertising genius. Building a home for public good Returning to Korea, Lee defied all the love calls from major advertising agencies in 2008. He remains deeply critical of commercial advertising. 'Advertising fuels endless consumption. It sells empty desire. It makes people throw away what they have, to buy what they don't need.' Instead, he founded the Jeski Social Campaign — the country's only ad agency devoted solely to public campaigns. 'I wanted to make ads that don't serve one client or one company, but serve everyone,' he said. Since then, he has tacked topics many would shy away from: disability rights, homelessness, sexual violence against disabled women, domestic abuse, human rights, famine in Africa, clean water access, North Korea and Dokdo. 'I just do it. There is no reason. It's instinct. You can't explain instinct,' he said. Just like lying on the floor when the music didn't move him, just like sketching teachers instead of studying — Lee is still the same boy, following his gut.
