SANGWON LEE

Sangwon Lee is a South Korean painter known for his bird’s-eye views that examine collective human behavior in modern leisure spaces such as beaches, ski slopes, parks, and pools. Working at the intersection of photography and painting, he captures the shared human longing for rest, play, and presence. Starting with his own photographs of leisure scenes, he transforms them into panoramic works that blur the line between individual and collective experience.

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Rendered from a bird’s-eye view, his figures become rhythmic patterns, anonymous yet familiar. In his work, individuality dissolves; what matters is not who these people are, but the simple act of enjoying leisure together. His compositions often resemble intricate patterns from afar, yet up close, they reveal the intimacy of movement, allowing viewers to imagine themselves within the scene.

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Lee has exhibited widely since the early 2000s. His work is held in the collections of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Korea, Seoul Museum of Art, Sungkok Art Museum, and institutions such as POSCO, LG, Hanwha Resort, and Daemyung Resort.