Zhang Liang, Glasgow School of Art

more: http://www.zhangliangray.com

Ryan Moule, Royal College of Art, London

more: http://www.ryanmoule.com/

Since graduating with an MFA from Goldsmiths in 2011, Luna Jungeun Lee has been busy adding to her growing list of exhibitions and residences both here in the UK and abroad. Luna’s new work seeks to capture and instil the immaterial and transient nature of the digital realm and address its relation to identity and globalisation. We caught up with Luna, part way through her residency at Glasgow’s Ironbbratz, to talk about her influences, upcoming projects and plans for 2013. Luna currently lives and works in London.

Can you tell us a little bit about your experiences of studying art in Seoul, Sheffield and London?

There are huge differences between Korea and the UK in terms of the art education system. Firstly, Korea doesn’t have a one to one tutorial programme, it’s structured more like taking the classes and developing all kinds of traditional drawing and painting skills, but I had a totally different experience in Sheffield, it’s more focused on individual projects, going deeper and taking a more serious look at things. During my MFA at Goldsmiths, I was also exposed to an international art scene through my colleagues, and working in different galleries and art communities.

What have you been up to since graduating?

I have been preparing upcoming shows every month and luckily I was selected as one of the artists in the Florence Trust’s Artists residency programme. During the residency I was sharing a studio with 9 other artists, it was a great experience as we could exchange our ideas across various mediums. For a foreign artist like myself, it is often difficult to live in London as an artist, but the residency programme has helped with creating a network. It helps you to understand the state of the art world in the UK, since the organisation has a close relationship with various galleries.

You have also had numerous group shows since graduating, how do you go on about getting your work shown nationally and internationally?

I strive to present my work in different galleries or public sites as much as I can. Sometimes I arrange the show with my colleagues, applying to national and international competitions, and getting contacts through galleries. The more exhibitions I have in different spaces, the more I’m getting to know what suits my art best.

Do you choose the subject of your work and then select an appropriate tool for expression?

Yes, I don’t particularly want to impart feelings of heaviness or gravity to the works I am currently working on. We live in a time between the digital and the analogue, where we experience the fast changing world of the digital. I am interested in bringing the virtual world of the digital to the real world, and so enjoy creating objects that make the immaterial tangible. If I give too much weight to the work the object feels as though it only exists in the real world. I want to create things that exist and traverse between the margins of the two worlds. Perceptible yet imperceptible to the eye – it has led me to work with materials that are naturally transparent, erasable or easy to break

The way in which you compile the images is interesting, it reminds me of monuments or architectural structures. Are they constructed with a certain perspective?


There’s a thing called ‘Chek-Gul Lee’ in traditional Korean folk paintings that are still life books, these paintings show everyday objects piled up on top of one another. Even though it differs greatly from Western painting methods, it gives off a very modern impression. Unlike the still life in the West which usually takes a horizontal composition, I incorporate the verticality of the composition format in these Chek-Gul Lee. Some of the objects in these works are simplified and appear like abstract patterns, while sometimes the objects are clumped together to look like one.

Where can we see your work?

My work was part of a group show at ArtEco Gallery, I installed the transition collective series onto the windows of the gallery. This show finished this week and my next show is at the Glasgow Print Gallery, where I’ll be showing my new Black Mirror series.

Any plans for the New Year?

At the moment I am participating in the Ironbbratz’s artists residency programme in Glasgow, I will be working there until the end of May 2013. So, I will keep working on my Black Mirror and new Cube projects for my final show, and my works for the program will be featured on Central Station in early January. I am also planning to participate in the Muse at 269 AIR programme in 2013. 

Find out more about Luna here.

Words: Tatevik Sargsyan & Ieuan Ward

Images: Luna Jungeun Lee

Chris Sutevski, Australian National University

more: http://www.chrissutevski.com/

Natasha Russell, Edinburgh College of Art

more: http://natasharussell.tumblr.com/

Cherelle Sappleton, Central Saint Martins

more: http://cherellesappleton.tumblr.com/

Emmely Dovaston, Central St. Martins College of Art and Design

more: http://emmelyemmely.tumblr.com/

Stephanie Bebbington, University of Northampton

Rebecca Wild, Manchester Metropolitan University

More: http://shownd.com/scanography

Kamee Abrahamian, European Graduate School Switzerland

more: http://www.lovelinest.com/