Curatorial Statement
Concerning our digitally polluted lifestyle in contemporary society, Seung Jun Lee’s Cyber Strays features hovering large-scale graphite drawings and scattered ceramic sculptures that portray a series of metamorphic life forms. The urge for convenience has filled every nook and cranny of human history. From barter to shells, gold to paper bills, and credit cards to bitcoins, this collective pursuit slowly comes to fruition. In 2020, driven by a storm named COVID-19, the ship of NFT rammed high on the shore of the metaverse. Massive capital flowed into virtual platforms, and people began to claim ownership of this undiscovered land. Henceforward, we become residents of the intersecting area between the virtual and the real. We no longer look at the sun for time or at stars for direction because they exist as numbers and Google Maps on our cell phones. Wandering between two worlds, individuals turn into stray forms that lose “a clear place to inhabit” and a “clear objective in evolving.” Driven by a fascination with mystical animals in Korean tradition, Lee crafts supernatural creatures as the symbol of “cyber strays.” Representing the digitalization of capitalism in his works, golden toads are common gifts in Korea’s traditional bribery culture. This mystical creature appears only during the full moon, near businesses and houses that will soon receive the good news that is wealth-related. Lee also utilizes industrialized silkworm moths as an analogy to ponder the future evolvement of humans—as they were bred to lose the ability to fly.
About the Artist
Seung Jun Lee (b. 1999, South Korea) seeks naturality in the digitally polluted lifestyle, translating experiences that intertwine reality and media culture into metamorphic forms. Derived from his experience living in South Korea and the US, his works also concern the conflicting feelings of wanderers who try to find an adequate balance between two worlds. With his main focus being drawings made from graphite, his images portray the raw expression in intertwining both nature and media culture. Jun has recently exhibited his first solo show in Seoul (Euljiro), Korea, and is currently situated in Baltimore, Maryland, studying General Fine Arts (BFA) at Maryland Institute College of Art.
About the Guest Curator
Joyce Liang (b. 1997, China) is an independent curator specializing in uncollectible art mediums in galleries and cyberspace. Completed her B.F.A. in Art History and Curatorial Studies at Maryland Institute College of Art, she focuses her practice on immersive performances and digital art research. Her curated production, Collective Dreaming, has exhibited in the U.S. and China, including shows at BBOX in Baltimore, Tree Art Museum in Beijing, and the First CSSA-Goldsmiths International Youth Art & Design Exhibition online.
