<MIND · TEARS> DONGCHUN LEE
DONGCHUN LEE
26 MAY - 8 JUNE, 2021

Mind · Tears

Tears soothe sorrow, heal wounds, and control anger. 
Tears calm joy. 
Tears release surplus feelings and purify the mind.

I gather tears in my heart again today. 
When emotions fill my heart, I empty it with tears.

Dongchun Lee

Korea

When facing a piece of Contemporary Jewelry, I focus on the lines that comprise the whole. Finding the maker’s passion in the freedom that flows is a delight that excites me. I first encountered Dongchun Lee’s work in the early 2OOOs when it emphasized making through the confluence of dimensions. His early works take a subtle yet strong form, flowing like his later calligraphic works. But it was Lee’s jewelry, restrained and firm, which made him “one of my favorite artist.” Around 2O1O, Lee gave variety to his subject matter through the series named “Breath” and “Respiration,” consistently crafting new works that moved through materials as varied as plastic, silicone, wood, and string. Lee, however, endeavors not only as an author but as a planner (curator?). From the exhibit which marked an important beginning of metal craft, “Jewelry SUGGESTION(2OO1, 2OO3, 2OO4),” to “JEWELRY CONCEPTION PRIVATE COSMOS(2OO7),” “CROSSING THE BORDER(2OO9),” “FLOWER OF DESIRE (2O13)”, “WOOD EXTENDED LIFE (2O16)”, “PLASTIC PLACSTIC PLASTIC(2OO4, 2017)”, and including the “1OO BROOCHES(2O2O),” which compiled a chronicle of recent advances Korean Contemporary Jewelry, Lee’s suggestions and works have flowed out ceaselessly. This industriousness, I think, was possible thanks to his deep sincerity towards Contemporary Jewelry. And in 2O21, he has come to us bearing “Mind. Tears.”

Oh, Miwha