Lee Wan: An Artist Between Individuality and Collectivity
In an era where art is often seen as abstract and symbolic, there’s one artist who stands in stark contrast: Carole Feuerman. She’s a leading figure in the hyperrealism movement, a style of art so lifelike that it demands a second look to confirm that it isn’t real. This quality makes her work particularly captivating for many, especially the younger generation.
Carole Feuerman is an American sculptor who has been active since the 1970s. What truly sets her apart, though, is not just her decades-long career but her extraordinary ability to create sculptures so realistic that they seem poised to come to life at any moment. Her works can be found in prestigious collections and museums worldwide, and she has received numerous awards for her contributions to the art world.
Lee Wan, born in 1979 in Seoul, is an artist who continually explores the boundaries between the individual and society with his works. His installations and performances are imbued with social critique, questioning the power structures that shape our lives. Throughout his artistic career, he has deeply engaged with themes such as labor, time, and human worth. His work "Proper Time" is a striking example of this engagement, poignantly illustrating how our living conditions are influenced by global inequalities.
From Seoul to the World
He began his artistic career in South Korea before gaining international recognition. His early works were heavily influenced by the political and social realities of his home country. Through his travels and encounters with people from various cultures, he broadened his perspective and developed a deeper exploration of universal human themes. In "Proper Time," he consolidates these experiences into a powerful installation that is both individually and collectively impactful.
A Portrait of Inequality
The installation "Proper Time" consists of 668 identical wall clocks densely covering the walls of a white room. Each clock bears the name, birth date, nationality, and occupation of a person Lee Wan met and interviewed during his travels. However, these clocks do not tick uniformly; each one moves at a different rate, determined by the time it takes the respective individual to earn a meal. This creates a moving and simultaneously unsettling portrait of global inequalities.
Entering the room through a narrow door, visitors must stoop, a symbolic gesture of submission to what awaits inside. The room itself is bathed in neutral white light, creating a calming atmosphere. The absence of ticking sounds and the pleasant background noise of people discussing their work and roles add to the meditative ambiance.
The Faceless Family
In the center of the room stands a dark statue titled "For a Better Tomorrow." The sculpture depicts a family – father, mother, and child – united in an idealized pose reminiscent of socialist monuments. However, the faces of the figures are cut out, rendering them faceless and anonymous. This abstraction raises the question of whether, in today's society, we are defined solely by our roles and time, and whether we have lost our true identity as a result.
A Critique of Political Iconography
The sculpture "For a Better Tomorrow" is a clear reference to propagandistic depictions of idealized families from various political regimes, whether North Korea, Nazi Germany, or the United States during World War II. These images always depict a perfect, homogeneous unit, instrumentalized for the state's ideological purposes. Lee Wan critically engages with this tradition, showing how political systems turn individuals into faceless tools, serving only to embody an ideological message.
Through "Proper Time," Lee Wan succeeds in portraying the invisibility and anonymity of the individual in a globalized world, where economic inequalities shape individual existence. Each clock represents a unique story, an individual reality shaped by economic constraints and social structures. At the same time, the totality of the clocks creates an overwhelming image of collective humanity, trapped in a system that often renders the individual invisible and insignificant.
A Wake-Up Call Through Art
Lee Wan’s "Proper Time" is more than just an artistic installation. It is a powerful social statement that encourages visitors to reflect on their own living conditions and those of others. It prompts us to reconsider the time we have and to question the structures that define our existence. Lee Wan shows us that although each of us is unique, we are all part of a larger whole – a history of individuals connected by global power structures and economic inequalities.