Exhibition Information

Exhibition view

Exhibition view

			Kee’s statement indicates that Lee’s photographs extend beyond simple reproduction of the live performance, becoming art objects with an entirely new set of conceptual parameters. For instance, prior to performing Logic of Place at the fourth A.G. show of 1975, and later in an exhibition of 1976, Lee Kun-Yong executed the work in stages at Hongik University while Yi Wan-Ho, an artist and close associate, took a series of documentary photographs. While the performance itself has unquestionable significance, the original photographs taken prior to the official execution of Logic of Place demonstrate the significance of the documented image in his work. Lee’s exploration of the possibility of performance as a live medium and one through which to address the uses of photography in Yushin Korea positions him as a premier artist in Korea. 
 
Alongside Logic of Place, Form of Now also presents The Method of Drawing and Logic of Hands, photographs shown
 for the first time on this scale. A recurring subject throughout these performances is Lee’s emphasis on the role of the body as a medium, which is also fused into the title of the exhibition: Form of Now .  Loosely translated from the Korean hyun - shin, it is derived from Chinese characters hyun, which is defined as ‘now’ or ‘the present’ and shin, the body. Put together, the word can be defined as an act of presenting one’s self to another. The artist’s choice of the words encompasses the philosophy underlying in his performances and embodies his bold attempts in performing within a strictly controlled Korea.
 
 
Lee Kun-Yong’s works have exhibited widely within Korea and abroad, including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul (1973), Paris City Modern Art Museum (1973), Cagnes-sur-Mer, Cannes (1976), The 15th Biennale International de São Paulo (1979), City Art Museum of Lisbon (1979), Grand Palais, Paris (1986), Seoul Arts Center (1995), Busan Museum of Art (1998), The Korean Culture and Arts Foundation Fine Art Center, Seoul (1999), Gwangju Museum of Art (2000), National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Gwacheon (2014), and Pace Gallery, Beijing (2018).  
 
His works are held in collections across Korea and abroad, including Busan Museum of Art, Korea; Daegu Art Museum, Korea; Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art, Ansan, Korea; Hongik Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea; Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea; National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, Korea; Seoul Museum of Art, Korea; Seoul Olympic Museum of Art, Korea; The Rachofsky Collection, Dallas, USA; and Tate, London, U.K., among others.  
 
Pace is a leading contemporary art gallery representing many of the most significant international artists and estates of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.  
 
Under the leadership of President and CEO Marc Glimcher, Pace is a vital force within the art world and plays a critical role in shaping the history, creation, and engagement with modern and contemporary art. Since its founding by Arne Glimcher in 1960, Pace has developed a distinguished legacy for vibrant and dedicated relationships with renowned artists. As the gallery approaches the start of its seventh decade, Pace’s mission continues to be inspired by our drive to support the world’s most influential and innovative artists and to share their visionary work with people around the world.Pace advances this mission through its dynamic global program, comprising ambitious exhibitions, artist projects, public installations, institutional collaborations, and curatorial research and writing. Today, Pace has ten locations worldwide: three galleries in New York; one in London; one in Geneva; one in Palo Alto, California; one in Beijing; two in Hong Kong; and one in Seoul. Pace will open a new flagship gallery at 540 West 25th Street in New York in September 2019