WOAW Gallery is pleased to present Pop Craft Structure, a solo exhibition by Korean artist Gyuhan Lee. The title is derived from Lee’s transformation of mass-produced consumerist packaging into structured designs. Using the packaging of iconic brands, he creates furniture and furnishings with easily-accessible materials, infusing utilitarian function to waste and further drawing attention to consumerist behaviors.The exhibition will be on view from 7 November to 16 December 2024 , which also celebrates his first solo exhibition in Hong Kong.
Most of us know the familiar crumple of paper bags in our hands. We tear them open to consume its insides, barely registering the material beneath our fingertips as they are balled up and tossed aside like an afterthought. In the hands of Lee, the Korean artist breathes new life into the “valueless” material, skillfully weaving the recycled fiber with traditional Korean paper as he turns disposable waste into detailed craftsmanship.To Lee, sourcing the easily accessible materials is the beginning of his creative process. Using the image of popular and iconic brands that he himself consumes, such as McDonalds and Nike, he creates his works by hand in what he considers to be a process of repetition. As many of the materials he uses already have predetermined logos and bright colors, Lee works to strike harmony between the structure and form, as well as color and balance, of his works. In this new series, he focuses more on images of popular brands by incorporating Hermés blotting paper into his lamps. Inspired by the Hermès building in Ginza, Tokyo, the two new lamps mimic the window panels of the architectural design.
