Discarded Tree Trunks & Branches Turned Into Stunning Wood Sculptures By Jae-Hyo Lee
South Korean artist Jae-Hyo Lee uses organic materials like wood to create large-scale, sculptural pieces that favour both form and function. Focusing on geometric shapes such as the sphere, Lee somehow manages to transform tree trunks and hefty branches into perfectly formed globes, columns, and furniture-like objects.
“I make artworks with materials around me that I can manipulate. Usually those materials are from nature,” Lee, who lives in Yangpyeong with his artist wife Cha Jong Rye, says in a video profile about his work. When it comes to his wood sculptures, he usually forgoes expensive, rare trees in favor of scraps from cheap or abandoned specimens, explaining, “I believe you can get more of a ‘wow effect’ when you create a striking piece from everyday, common materials.”
To achieve the striking, smooth look of his sculptures, the 50-year-old artist engulfs each piece in flames until the wood is charred black. He then polishes the surface until the exposed wood pieces gleam brightly, contrasting sharply with the dark colour of the scorched interior. Often displayed in museums, galleries, and the lobbies of high-end hotels, there’s an elegant, pristine quality to Lee’s organic work that belies the gruelling manual labour that went into the creation of each sculpture. Thanks MyModernmet, Bored Panda
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11x14″ prints press-printed on an ultra thick frame-ready print with a fine art matte from Artifact Uprising.