Artist Talk: Hochoul Lee in conversation with Jonathan Watkins

Lee’s recent works have focussed on the meaning of human cognitive functions, and his works are greatly influenced by philosophy. Lee’s inspiration for this series of works comes from the worrying problems related to political issues, the spread of racism and the growth of nationalism, and he believes that the collapse of traditional ethics is related to a lack of imagination and acceptance towards individuality.

In the present environment, people continuously process complicated information, standardised elements and results derived from statistics. This leads us to forget the uniqueness and originality of each individual.

In order not to succumb to the fear that the power of imagination in our modern society is declining, Lee is reminding himself of the importance of imagining individuality through repetitive physical activities in his works.

Lee and Jonathan Watkins, Director of Ikon Gallery in Birmingham, will discuss the artist’s influences and the works on show.