The color BLUE: Katsuyoshi Inokuma, Lee Chae, Liu Ke

Seoul

2024.02.24 - 03.24

Whitestone Gallery Seoul is pleased to announce its upcoming exhibition, "The color BLUE," which will showcase the exceptional talents of three artists—Lee Chae from Korea, Liu Ke from China, and Inokuma Katsuyoshi from Japan. This captivating exhibition aims to delve into the multifaceted nature of the color blue, offering an exploration of how each artist uniquely incorporates this hue into their works.

The color blue, a rare hue in nature, holds a storied history dating back to ancient civilizations. Used sparingly due to the scarcity of organisms capable of creating true-blue pigments, blue has been reserved for precious artifacts such as Parao's mask and religious depictions like those of St. Mary. Simultaneously, blue has been a source of inspiration for artists across centuries. Whether employed as a symbolic reference or as a reflection of elements in nature, the color blue – with its myriad shades, tones, and tints – provides endless possibilities for adaptation to the creative needs of artists. This exhibition spotlights the utilization of the blue color within abstract works, showcasing the distinctive approaches of three artists hailing from diverse cultural backgrounds. Through their artworks, the audience is invited to explore and appreciate the varied expressions and interpretations of blue in the realm of contemporary art.

KATSUYOSHI INOKUMA

Born in Japan in 1951, Katsuyoshi Inokuma introduced his distinctive IN BLUE series in 1993, which continues to be the focus of his artistic endeavors. This series features serene and gentle blue screens, often divided and adorned with several rectangles. In recent works, the ornamental expressions seen in the earlier IN BLUE series, such as vibrant colors and drippings, have replaced a quieter palette dominated by dark tones, creating a space that evokes aesthetic depth.

This series’ predominant ultramarine blue characteristic appears to envelop the entire composition. However, the artist introduces subtle variations in blue tones in different areas, adding depth to the color. In some instances, he incorporates coffee grounds mixed with pigments, creating a unique texture that is distinctly his own. For Inokuma, the color blue, reminiscent of the deep sea, is the most effective hue in conveying the depth of space. Therefore, he consistently employs his unique shade of blue, akin to the abyss of the sea, in his artworks. In discussing his artistic approach, Inokuma emphasizes the importance of creating works that delve into the depths of the human psyche, aiming to resonate with viewers' memories and emotions. He articulates that the color blue, particularly the resonant blue found deep within the human soul, serves as a focal point of his exploration and usage in his artwork, striving to connect with the profound recesses of the human heart.

ABOUT

KATSUYOSHI INOKUMA

KATSUYOSHI INOKUMA

In 1969, Katsuyoshi Inokuma graduated from a high school in Fukushima Prefecture. After studying art at an art academy and an art institute, he returned to his hometown in 1972. In 1966, he was awarded the Grand Prize at the Memorial of AOKI Nishinippon Art Exhibition, which led him to pursue a full-time career as an artist.

During the 1990s, Inokuma began creating abstract paintings dominated by shades of blue. In 1993, he introduced his ongoing series called IN BLUE, characterised by gentle and soft blue partitions with dotted rectangular shapes. In his recent works, Inokuma has departed from his earlier decorative expression, which incorporated vibrant colours and dripping techniques within the IN BLUE series. Instead, he explores serene white and black tones, creating a sense of depth in the artwork. In addition, he covers his paintings entirely in his signature ultramarine blue, known as 'Inokuma Blue.' Certain sections of the paintings are built up with multiple layers of paint, enhancing the depth and complexity of the artwork. To enrich the depth of the blue colour, Inokuma incorporates a pink underpainting. Additionally, he adds coffee grounds to specific areas of the underpainting, creating a random and uneven texture that reflects light and produces intricate colour surfaces.

LEE CHAE

Born in 1989, Chae Lee creates his artworks with meticulous attention to detail, carefully spreading thin layers of paint to achieve an even and spotless finish. Through the repetitive and meditative act of wiping and smoothing, the artist delicately accumulates traces of time on the canvas.

In Chae Lee's works, the color blue frequently appears as a visual language expressing conceptual inner memories and imprints. For this exhibition, the artist reflects on the color blue, describing it as "a color of profound, unfathomable immersion that one feels when gazing at the night sky." To Lee, the color blue is intimately connected to our spiritual world, and he shares, "I capture the infinite essence of this hue, expressing the blue that emanates from the mind onto the canvas." Continuing his artistic expression of inner emotions and the traces of time, the color blue holds a special connection for the artist, offering viewers an opportunity to discover the connection between reality and distant beauty through his delicate and meditative artworks.

ABOUT

LEE CHAE

LEE CHAE

LEE CHAE

Chae Lee is a South Korean artist born in 1989. He graduated from Gacheon University's University for the Arts with majors in painting and Eastern painting. Subsequently, he received his master’s degree in fine art from Hongik University.

Chae Lee paints with oil on canvas, typically including his characteristic deep blue color in peaceful compositions. Though blue is often thought of as a 'cold' color, Lee interprets this shade as that of the calm of winter awaiting the promise of a new spring. Lee portrays natural elements of various sizes in his paintings, such as flower petals, branches, trees, and forests, in a rhythmical, abstract way.

Through Chae Lee's precision and the careful way he applies each line of paint, he projects ideas of 'meditation' and 'repetitive action.' Lee works in quiet concentration. With the utmost care, he wipes a thin layer of paint onto the canvas and, without leaving any unwanted marks, he slowly spreads the paint. By using this meditative process, Chae Lee spreads messages of 'peace' and 'healing' to the viewer in his artworks.


Read the Interview >

LIU KE

Born in 1976, Liu Ke is a Chinese artist who intricately weaves fragments of everyday emotions into his abstract works in a multidimensional manner. Employing a complex interplay of vertical and horizontal lines, he adds curves to the canvas through collages and bold brushstrokes, creating pieces with a dynamic rhythm and palpable tension. One of his notable works, ‘Blue Lane,’ juxtaposes blue and black, where blue symbolizes transparency, fluidity, mystery, and freedom, while black represents solidity and structural composition. This dichotomy is a recurring theme throughout his works, symbolizing the collision of vertical and horizontal, straight and curved lines, abstractly expressing the dichotomy between reason and intuition and materiality and spirituality.

Regarding the frequent appearance of the color blue in Liu Ke's works, the artist explains, "Blue is deep and vast, a mysterious color embracing the unknown infinity. Simultaneously, it possesses a dual feeling of pure solidity and dynamic fluidity." The profound and mysterious shade of blue, inspired by the artist's encounters during travels to Turkey and the Himalayas, serves as a significant inspiration in his creative endeavors.

ABOUT

LIU KE

LIU KE

Born in 1976 in Ningxiang, Hunan, Liu Ke graduated from the Department of Oil Painting of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in 2003. He is currently a professor at the Academy, the Vice Dean of the School of Painting and the Head of the Department of Oil Painting. He is also the Executive Director of the Boxes Art Museum and the founder of Sabaki Space in Guangzhou.

 

He uses vertical lines to create works limited to the relationship between vertical lines where they press against each other through the repeated overlays, with the intention of allowing the viewer to become aware of the potential tensions between objects and space. The gradual division method in his work, where the image is divided by dense vertical lines and then becomes an overlay, with the gaps becoming more narrow, and the gaps cohering a concentrated force, revealing energy through the collision of vertical or horizontal blocks. The abstract symbols and intriguing colors are used to allow the viewers to voyage through a mystical 'vortex' of art. The shift of the plane and the 'point' created in the dichotomy between the material level and spiritual level form a passage from the starting line and the gaps of the overlays to the two-dimensional and three-dimensional worlds, while entangling the everyday emotional fragments in the picture.

The color BLUE: Katsuyoshi Inokuma, Lee Chae, Liu Ke
2024.02.24 - 03.24

Seoul

70 Sowol-ro, Yongsan-ku, Seoul, Korea
+822 318 1012
+822 318 1013
Opening Hours: 11:00 - 19:00
Closed: Monday
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