Lee Bae Issu du feu 6y, 2003

Issu du Feu is a painting from charcoal on canvas that at first appears similar to a section of a huge bundle of tightly bound charcoal, smooth as if sliced by a sharp implement. In fact, the piece was created by aligning cut charcoal on the canvas, which are then grafted and polished. Hundreds of wood grain and growth rings made by nature and time fill the canvas, refracting light in various directions and in multiple angles. Charcoal, which seemed to be simply black at first sight, gives rise to a myriad of optical expressions like an encyclopaedia of light. The work, evoking a wide range of images in the viewer’s minds, sensitively reacts to the entire spectrum of light, from the faintest to the brightest, to the subtlest shades and to people’s shadows.

Charcoal has unique meanings in Korean tradition. It is believed that charcoal can dehumidify houses and ward off evil forces. When the first full moon of the lunar calendar rises, people would perform the ritual of “burning the moon house”, setting ablaze a sacred moon structure built up of pine branches. The charcoal carbonized by the burning of pine wood is considered a purifying substance with spiritual implications.

Relatively inexpensive, the medium of charcoal made it possible for Lee Bae to explore various aspects of its materiality. In his artistic practice, the artist who lived in France for an extended period of his life, found a way to connect with his cultural roots.