ArtGate Gallery is pleased to announce Adhesion Paradox, a solo exhibition by Seung Chul Lee. Lee is a renowned scholar of traditional Korean handmade paper Hanji and Korean wrapping fabric Bojagi. Lee’s interactive multimedia experience is an amalgamation of Korean customs and contemporary technology that transcends boundaries while creating his own unique medium. The exhibition will run from June 14 through July 21, with an opening reception on June 14. On June 28, ArtGate Gallery and The Korea Society will host the official launch of Lee’s book on hanji, where the artist will perform the process of paper dyeing.

Lee strives for the harmonization of eastern and western cultures. His first installation work, House of Fabric, is a large scale, three-dimensional square representation of a house with walls of Bojagi. The sides of the square will serve as a projection screen for the moving images depicting the modern history of Korea. The second installation will feature hanging columns of Bojagi, each column will be equipped with a sensor that will play a unique note sparked by the interpretation of human gestures.

The Bojagi and Hanji are handmade and dyed by Lee himself through a methodical process that requires an intimate knowledge of nature. Lee’s color palette is formulated from organic plants according to the idea of Obangsaek, the five traditional colors that represents the five elements of the universe. The Bojagi and Hanji featured in the exhibition will be dyed in the colors of Obangsaek and accompanied by music orchestrated using the traditional Korean scales and notes based on the five elements. These materials, steeped in Korea’s long history are embroidered with video and interactive technology whereby tradition is restored and reinterpreted.

Seung Chul Lee was born in Wonju, South Korea in 1964 and has spent the past three decades lecturing on Hanji at various Korean universities. He received his B.F.A and M.F.A in Eastern Art from Seoul National University. He is currently a professor at Dongduk Women’s University and a senior researcher at Gansong Museum.

Special thanks to New York’s finest interactive artists, Luisa Covaria, Byung Han Lim, Mark Kleback, and Haengsoo Seol, for their creativity and guidance.