is known for his performances that reimagine the ways that the body and its movements can be understood across time. Lee cultivated his highly experimental practice during the 1970s, when martial law and authoritarianism presented a major affront to civil rights and freedom of expression in South Korea. Lee began creating performances that he called “Events” in 1975, first presenting Same Area (1975) and Indoor Measurement (1975) at Baekrok Gallery in Seoul. Soon after, he introduced the term “Logical Event” to further articulate the conceptual framework of the series, later inverting the phrase to “Event-Logical” to place greater emphasis on the event itself. Events consisted of simple, repeated physical actions to produce varied marks, culminating in a work reflective of the interactions between the artist and environment. Performances from this period—now consolidated under the term “Event-Logical”—such as The Logic of Place (1975), Relay Life (1976), and Snail’s Gallop (1979), were attempts to utilize the body as a medium for perceiving the world. Lee’s body-based drawing and painting works, referred to as Bodyscapes (1976), challenge conventional modes of painting and art-making through a unique method in which Lee approaches the canvas from different angles and uses paint to record the motions of his limbs, creating spontaneous and expressive marks across the surface. The abstract works in this ongoing series reflect the artist’s interest in documenting the process and physicality of painting. Lee is considered a key figure of the AG (Korean Avant-Garde Association) as well as a founding member of the ST (Space & Time) group. He earned a BFA from Hongik University in Seoul in 1967 and an MA in art education from Keimyung University in Daegu in 1982. Recent solo exhibitions include Lee Kun-Yong: Bodyscape , Palazzo Cabotto, Venice (2022); Lee Kun-Yong: Reborn , Leeahn Gallery, Seoul (2022); Lee Kun-Yong: Bodyscape Since 1973 , 313 Art Project, Paris (2022–23); Lee Kun-Yong: Snail’s Gallop , Pace Gallery, New York (2023); Lee Kun-Yong: Archival Rhythm , Gyeongnam Art Museum, Seoul (2023); Lee Kun-Yong , Kunsan National University Art Museum, South Korea (2024); Lee Kun-Yong , Leeahn Gallery, Daegu, South Korea (2024); and Lee Kun-Yong , Dugaheon house, Gallery Hyundai, Seoul (2024–25). Recent notable group exhibitions include Human, 7 questions , Leeum Museum of Art, Seoul (2021–22); Being In the World: The Tenth Anniversary of the Long Museum , Long Museum, Shanghai (2022–23); Only the Young: Experimental Art in South Korea, 1960s–1970s , National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, which traveled to the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York (2023–24), and the Hammer Museum, University of California, Los Angeles (2024); and For What It’s Worth: Value Systems in Art since 1960 , The Warehouse, Dallas, Texas (2024). He has participated in the Paris Biennale (1973); the Bienal de São Paulo (1979); the Gwangju Biennale (2000 and 2023); and the Busan Biennale (2014 and 2016). Lee’s work is held in numerous collections worldwide, including the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul; Long Museum, Shanghai; Los Angeles County Museum of Art; and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, among others.
