LEE Sangmin explores the eternity of time and spiritual consciousness through the immaterial phenomena created by glass and light. He studied object design at the École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Strasbourg and visual arts at the Université Marc Bloch, grounding his practice in layered perceptions of sensation and thought.
His early Bowl series visualized invisible energy and flow through the transparency and afterimage of glass, establishing material as a conduit of perception. During the pandemic, he developed works inspired by the vitality and quiet persistence of the cactus, condensing the rhythms of life sustained amid isolation and uncertainty.
His recent series, Transient Moment, captures the instant before a drop of dew falls from a leaf, fixing the tension of disappearance through subtle lines and tonal gradations in glass. Central to his practice is the Bowl series, initiated through the observation of ceramic artifacts. By engraving vessel imagery onto the reverse of 10mm glass panels, he constructs layered perceptions of time and memory.
His work employs the movement and stillness of light behind transparent surfaces as a sculptural language, quietly anchoring the viewer’s gaze and intensifying the density of the present moment. Since his first solo exhibition One and Three Bowls (2017), he has expanded his practice through My Beautiful Garden (2021) and Epiphany (2024). His works are held in major public and private collections, including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea (MMCA).
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