LEE Ungbai

LEE Ungbai reflects on the meaning of sculpture which is usually viewed unilaterally and from a certain distance. His works are presented with an extremely important message by way of “touching” and “playing.” They approach us with an immense level of affection that metal pipes, his original material of choice, cannot impart. Unlike industrial metal, his metal pipes are reborn in exquisite colors. His pieces touch humans and vice versa as they transform into works viewers can enjoy via touch. By doing this, his pieces bring a new meaning to modernism art. In the age of modernism, artists were in a confrontational and hostile relationship with viewers much like how people were with others. However, his works dream of “oneness” and seek a community, abandoning any confrontational meaning that they might have. Rhythmical lines that dominate a space seem to wriggle and move forward. These lines cut across an external space, displaying a shape alongside an empty space. They demonstrate multiple fluid spaces that vary according to our point of view. These spaces do not simply connect different volumes — they join diverse individuals that make up a community and its various pieces.

“One sole, empty space” is formed by his connection. This space literally signifies the elemental meaning of a community through “oneness.” That is, this one space (the empty space in the center) physically represents something common, either a common body or a common space. These pipes or lines are thus appropriate for representing what a common body or a community symbolizes.