Biography
Lee Wan
B. 1979, Seoul
Lee Wan is known for his diverse body of work, spanning sculpture, installation, documentary film, and AI-infused media technology. He delves into the impacts of globalization, capitalism, politics, history, and culture on individual lives.
Notable accolades include winning the ‘1st Art Spectrum Artist Award’ by Leeum in 2014, and representing the Korean Pavilion at the ‘Venice Biennale’ in 2017. Lee Wan’s collaborative partners include MOYNAT and Hyundai Motor’s ZER01NE and Cradle. His artworks are part of esteemed collections in institutions like MMCA, SeMA, Leeum Samsung Museum of art, and LVMH foundation in Paris.
Presently, he explores humanism from a trans/post-humanism perspective, investigating how AI and technological advancements reshape human existence and relationships.
Stephanie Rosenthal
(Present) Director, Guggenheim Abu Dhabi
Director, Gropius Bau, Berlin
Director, 20th Sydney Biennale
Chief Curator, Hayward Gallery
“He is very much an artist of the 21st century
and the way that he works is not in any sort
of way ‘retro’, like so many other artists.
I feel like he really knows how to use
different technologies and just uses them
according to his best interest.”
- Interview by Michaela de Lacaze, 2017
Director, Gropius Bau, Berlin
Director, 20th Sydney Biennale
Chief Curator, Hayward Gallery
“He is very much an artist of the 21st century
and the way that he works is not in any sort
of way ‘retro’, like so many other artists.
I feel like he really knows how to use
different technologies and just uses them
according to his best interest.”
- Interview by Michaela de Lacaze, 2017
Artist CV
Lee Wan
B. 1979, Seoul
Education
Dongguk university, B.F.A in sculpture, Seoul
Award
2015 26th Kim se-choong young sculpture award, The Kim se-choong commemoration Foundation, Seoul
2014 The 1st art spectrum award, LEEUM Samsung museum of art, Seoul
2009 2009~2010 ARKO young art frontier artist, Arts council Korea, Korea
2005 Joong-Ang fine arts competition, Seoul arts center, Seoul
Collection
LVMH foundation, Paris
LEEUM Samsung museum of art, Seoul
Cheongju museum of art, Chungju
MMCA(National museum of modern and contemporary art), Gwacheon, Korea
SeMA(Seoul museum of art), Seoul
National science center, Gwacheon, Korea
Ssamzie Theme Park, Heyris, Korea
Solo Exhibition
2023 Random Access Memory, Chapter.2 ‘Heir’, ACT Ground, Hwasung-si, Korea
2022 Random Access Memory, Chapter.1 Displacement 0(Zero), Plad, Gallerie X, Seoul
2019 Lee Wan solo exhibition-313 art project, Art Basel Hongkong, Hongkong
2018 Chicago EXPO solo exhibition and special event A billboard project, Chicago
2018 Counter Balance, Venice biennale Korean pavilion(Homecoming report exhibition, with Cody Choi), ARKO art center, Seoul
2017 Counter Balance, Venice biennale Korean pavilion, Venice, Italy
2016 A diligent attitude towards a meaningless thing, 313 art project, Seoul
2016 Discovery section, Art Basel, Hong Kong
2015 Silence in between, 313 art project, Seoul
2014 Made in, Doosan art center, New York
2014 Us and them, Project space SARUBIA, Seoul
2013 Oh, pure love, Daegu art museum, Daegu
2012 How to become us, AR festival, Paju
2011 How to become us, Art space Pool, Seoul
2010 Forlorn standard, Art space Hue, Seoul
2009 Life is widely spreading blood-red ripples, Total museum, Seoul
2008 A forbidden land, Miro space, Seoul
2005 Riding art, Gallery Ssamzie, Seoul
Group Exhibition
2023 On boarding, Sungkok art museum, Seoul
2022 Channel: Wave-particle duality, Changwon Sculpture Biennale 2022, Changwon, Korea
2022 Record city, Factory2, Seoul
2021 Not easy, 313 art project, Seoul
2021 The Chronicle of lost time, SNU MoA, Seoul
2021 Time Walker the time travel corporation, MOCA Busan, Busan
2020 Camp 2020, Camp Long, Won ju, Korea
2020 Collection, Space CAN Old house, Seoul
2019 Contemparary Korean art, LEEUM Samsung museum of art, Seoul
2019 What is contemporary art, Daegu art factory, Daegu, Korea
2019 Sugar industry, Madou triennale, Madou, Taiwan
2018 About the things you can’t throw away’, SNU MoA, Seoul
2018 Still alive, Cheongju museum of art, Cheongju, Korea
2018 The Dictionary of Evil, 1st Gangwon international biennale, Gangwon, Korea
2017 Continua sphères ENSEMBLE, Centquatre Paris, Paris
2017 Nomadic traveler, 5th cultural conversations: Korea-Indonesia, Edwin’s gallery, Jakarta
2017 Video portrait, Total museum, Seoul
2017 Lesson zero, MMCA, Gwacheon
2016 First sight in Jogja, Cemeti art house, Indonesia
2016 Nanjing art festival, Nanjing Baijia lake museum, Nanjing
2016 Questioning sustainability, SNU MoA, Seoul
2016 Art and the measure of liberty: The United Nations Turns 70, Baik Art, LA
2016 Art and the measure of liberty: The United Nations Turns 70, Permanent mission of the Republic of Korea to theUnited Nations, New York
2015 Jungle shoes report, Block haus, France
2015 Gwangju media art festival: The dialogur of light, BITGOEUL Citizen Cultural Center, Gwangju
2015 New conjunctions, Permanent mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, New York
2015 Sphères 8, Galleria continua les Moulins, France
2015 Accidental encounter, SeMA(Seoul museum of art), Seoul
2015 Useless, Useful, Osan museum of art, Osan
2015 SEMA Salon, SeMA(Seoul museum of art), Seoul
2014 Burning down the house, Gwangju biennale, Gwang ju, Korea
2014 Please respond artists, Space O’New wall, Seoul
2014 Super romantics, Daegu art factory, Daegu
2014 Prime and surplus, Common center, Seoul
2014 Lee Wan - Park Kiwon duet exhibition, 313 art project, Seoul
2014 Sphères 7, Galleria continua les Moulins, France
2014 Deliberate tension, Cumin art center, Chungju, Korea
2014 Art spectrum 2014, Leeum Samsung museum of art, Seoul
2014 New icon, Salihara gallery, Jakarta
2014 Boundaries and transcendence, Pohang museum of art, Pohang, Korea
2013 Twilight, Absolute space, Tainan, Taiwan
2013 Love impossible, SNU MoA, Seoul
2013 Art farm project, Jim Tompson art center, Bangkok, Thailand
2013 Turning the State upside-down, Arts council Korea, Insa art space, Seoul
2013 Tireless refrain, Nam June Paik art center, Yongin-si, Korea
2012 Play time, Seoul culture station 284, Seoul
2012 Taste of life, Sungkok art museum, Seoul
2012 Confession, Ilmin museum, Seoul
2012 The pulse, Doosan art center New York, New York
2012 Confession, Ilmin museum, Seoul
2012 The pulse, Doosan art center, Seoul
2011 Korea tomorrow, Seoul art center, Seoul
2010 Biennale+1, Gwangju biennale special exhibition, Gwangju, Korea
2010 Asian emerging artist, Kim Daejung conventiion center, Gwangju, Korea
2010 The last amusement park, GMoMA(Gyeonggi museum of modern art), Gyeonggi-do
2010 Moon rabbit plays in the children’s gallery, MMCA, Gwacheon, Korea
2010 Mega stuff, Salonde H, Seoul
2010 Art & science , National science center, Gwacheon, Korea
2010 30th anniversary of the young Korean artists, MMCA, Gwacheon, Korea
2009 Visible hands, Ilmin museum of art, Seoul
2009 Dissonant visions, SeMA, Seoul
2008 Art at home, wonderful life, Doosan art center, Seoul
2008 Dialog in between, SNU MoA, Seoul
2008 Young Korean artists 2008, MMCA, Gwacheon, Korea
2007 London Okryukwan, Art house gallery, London
2006 Living Furniture, Busan biennale 2006, Busan
2005 Joong-Ang fine arts competition, Seoul arts center, Seoul
Residency
2019 Gallery PURPLE, Namyang-ju, South Korea
2018 Tsung-yeh arts and culture center Madou, Taiwan
2016 Cemeti art house, Jogjakarta, Indonesia
2015 Asia culture center residency, Gwangju, South Korea
2014 Doosan art center residency, New York
2014 New zero art space, Yanggon, Myanmar
2014 Gum-chon art factory, Seoul
2013 Absolute space residency, Tainan
2013 Jim Tompson art center residency, Bangkok
2012 Space CAN residency, Seoul
2011 SOLOMON artist residency, Seoul
2010 Chang-dong studio, Seoul
B. 1979, Seoul
Education
Dongguk university, B.F.A in sculpture, Seoul
Award
2015 26th Kim se-choong young sculpture award, The Kim se-choong commemoration Foundation, Seoul
2014 The 1st art spectrum award, LEEUM Samsung museum of art, Seoul
2009 2009~2010 ARKO young art frontier artist, Arts council Korea, Korea
2005 Joong-Ang fine arts competition, Seoul arts center, Seoul
Collection
LVMH foundation, Paris
LEEUM Samsung museum of art, Seoul
Cheongju museum of art, Chungju
MMCA(National museum of modern and contemporary art), Gwacheon, Korea
SeMA(Seoul museum of art), Seoul
National science center, Gwacheon, Korea
Ssamzie Theme Park, Heyris, Korea
Solo Exhibition
2023 Random Access Memory, Chapter.2 ‘Heir’, ACT Ground, Hwasung-si, Korea
2022 Random Access Memory, Chapter.1 Displacement 0(Zero), Plad, Gallerie X, Seoul
2019 Lee Wan solo exhibition-313 art project, Art Basel Hongkong, Hongkong
2018 Chicago EXPO solo exhibition and special event A billboard project, Chicago
2018 Counter Balance, Venice biennale Korean pavilion(Homecoming report exhibition, with Cody Choi), ARKO art center, Seoul
2017 Counter Balance, Venice biennale Korean pavilion, Venice, Italy
2016 A diligent attitude towards a meaningless thing, 313 art project, Seoul
2016 Discovery section, Art Basel, Hong Kong
2015 Silence in between, 313 art project, Seoul
2014 Made in, Doosan art center, New York
2014 Us and them, Project space SARUBIA, Seoul
2013 Oh, pure love, Daegu art museum, Daegu
2012 How to become us, AR festival, Paju
2011 How to become us, Art space Pool, Seoul
2010 Forlorn standard, Art space Hue, Seoul
2009 Life is widely spreading blood-red ripples, Total museum, Seoul
2008 A forbidden land, Miro space, Seoul
2005 Riding art, Gallery Ssamzie, Seoul
Group Exhibition
2023 On boarding, Sungkok art museum, Seoul
2022 Channel: Wave-particle duality, Changwon Sculpture Biennale 2022, Changwon, Korea
2022 Record city, Factory2, Seoul
2021 Not easy, 313 art project, Seoul
2021 The Chronicle of lost time, SNU MoA, Seoul
2021 Time Walker the time travel corporation, MOCA Busan, Busan
2020 Camp 2020, Camp Long, Won ju, Korea
2020 Collection, Space CAN Old house, Seoul
2019 Contemparary Korean art, LEEUM Samsung museum of art, Seoul
2019 What is contemporary art, Daegu art factory, Daegu, Korea
2019 Sugar industry, Madou triennale, Madou, Taiwan
2018 About the things you can’t throw away’, SNU MoA, Seoul
2018 Still alive, Cheongju museum of art, Cheongju, Korea
2018 The Dictionary of Evil, 1st Gangwon international biennale, Gangwon, Korea
2017 Continua sphères ENSEMBLE, Centquatre Paris, Paris
2017 Nomadic traveler, 5th cultural conversations: Korea-Indonesia, Edwin’s gallery, Jakarta
2017 Video portrait, Total museum, Seoul
2017 Lesson zero, MMCA, Gwacheon
2016 First sight in Jogja, Cemeti art house, Indonesia
2016 Nanjing art festival, Nanjing Baijia lake museum, Nanjing
2016 Questioning sustainability, SNU MoA, Seoul
2016 Art and the measure of liberty: The United Nations Turns 70, Baik Art, LA
2016 Art and the measure of liberty: The United Nations Turns 70, Permanent mission of the Republic of Korea to theUnited Nations, New York
2015 Jungle shoes report, Block haus, France
2015 Gwangju media art festival: The dialogur of light, BITGOEUL Citizen Cultural Center, Gwangju
2015 New conjunctions, Permanent mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations, New York
2015 Sphères 8, Galleria continua les Moulins, France
2015 Accidental encounter, SeMA(Seoul museum of art), Seoul
2015 Useless, Useful, Osan museum of art, Osan
2015 SEMA Salon, SeMA(Seoul museum of art), Seoul
2014 Burning down the house, Gwangju biennale, Gwang ju, Korea
2014 Please respond artists, Space O’New wall, Seoul
2014 Super romantics, Daegu art factory, Daegu
2014 Prime and surplus, Common center, Seoul
2014 Lee Wan - Park Kiwon duet exhibition, 313 art project, Seoul
2014 Sphères 7, Galleria continua les Moulins, France
2014 Deliberate tension, Cumin art center, Chungju, Korea
2014 Art spectrum 2014, Leeum Samsung museum of art, Seoul
2014 New icon, Salihara gallery, Jakarta
2014 Boundaries and transcendence, Pohang museum of art, Pohang, Korea
2013 Twilight, Absolute space, Tainan, Taiwan
2013 Love impossible, SNU MoA, Seoul
2013 Art farm project, Jim Tompson art center, Bangkok, Thailand
2013 Turning the State upside-down, Arts council Korea, Insa art space, Seoul
2013 Tireless refrain, Nam June Paik art center, Yongin-si, Korea
2012 Play time, Seoul culture station 284, Seoul
2012 Taste of life, Sungkok art museum, Seoul
2012 Confession, Ilmin museum, Seoul
2012 The pulse, Doosan art center New York, New York
2012 Confession, Ilmin museum, Seoul
2012 The pulse, Doosan art center, Seoul
2011 Korea tomorrow, Seoul art center, Seoul
2010 Biennale+1, Gwangju biennale special exhibition, Gwangju, Korea
2010 Asian emerging artist, Kim Daejung conventiion center, Gwangju, Korea
2010 The last amusement park, GMoMA(Gyeonggi museum of modern art), Gyeonggi-do
2010 Moon rabbit plays in the children’s gallery, MMCA, Gwacheon, Korea
2010 Mega stuff, Salonde H, Seoul
2010 Art & science , National science center, Gwacheon, Korea
2010 30th anniversary of the young Korean artists, MMCA, Gwacheon, Korea
2009 Visible hands, Ilmin museum of art, Seoul
2009 Dissonant visions, SeMA, Seoul
2008 Art at home, wonderful life, Doosan art center, Seoul
2008 Dialog in between, SNU MoA, Seoul
2008 Young Korean artists 2008, MMCA, Gwacheon, Korea
2007 London Okryukwan, Art house gallery, London
2006 Living Furniture, Busan biennale 2006, Busan
2005 Joong-Ang fine arts competition, Seoul arts center, Seoul
Residency
2019 Gallery PURPLE, Namyang-ju, South Korea
2018 Tsung-yeh arts and culture center Madou, Taiwan
2016 Cemeti art house, Jogjakarta, Indonesia
2015 Asia culture center residency, Gwangju, South Korea
2014 Doosan art center residency, New York
2014 New zero art space, Yanggon, Myanmar
2014 Gum-chon art factory, Seoul
2013 Absolute space residency, Tainan
2013 Jim Tompson art center residency, Bangkok
2012 Space CAN residency, Seoul
2011 SOLOMON artist residency, Seoul
2010 Chang-dong studio, Seoul