Kakyoung Lee’s Artistic Journey Transforms Everyday Moments Into Profound Narratives

Photo: Kakyoung Lee’s “Birth” – A poignant and layered depiction of introspection and transformation, combining intricate textures and fragile lines to explore memory, vulnerability, and the beauty of impermanence.

Layered Imagery Exploring Memory, Resilience, And Shared Narratives

Kakyoung Lee combines printmaking, animation, and installations to reveal complex emotions, cultural narratives, and the beauty of impermanent moments through fragile materials and hands-on artistic techniques.

K akyoung Lee’s artistry is a profound testament to the power of resilience, memory, and transformation. A master of printmaking, animation, and installation, Lee has cultivated a practice that is as intellectually layered as it is emotionally evocative. Her works transcend traditional boundaries, seamlessly merging the tactile quality of hand-drawn etchings with the fluidity of time-based media. The result is a body of art that not only examines the ephemeral beauty of life but also challenges audiences to find meaning in the unseen and transient moments that define our existence.

What sets Lee apart is her ability to weave the personal with the universal, creating narratives that reflect her lived experiences while addressing broader cultural, political, and environmental issues. Her exploration of fragility and impermanence—manifested through the delicate materials she chooses, like plexiglass or paper—resonates deeply, evoking themes of vulnerability and endurance. Whether she is depicting the quiet devastation of wildfires, the anxiety of political tension, or the cycle of everyday life, her work invites viewers into an intimate, contemplative space where the ordinary becomes extraordinary.

Lee’s unwavering commitment to authenticity and craftsmanship, combined with her insightful storytelling, cements her place as one of the most compelling artists of our time. Her ability to transform fleeting, mundane moments into profound visual poetry not only captures the complexity of human experience but also serves as a poignant reminder of the shared connections that bind us all. It is an honor to feature her voice in this issue of WOWwART—a voice that continues to inspire and challenge us to see the world in new and profound ways.

Kakyoung Lee’s innovative artistry transforms ordinary experiences into layered visual poetry, blending vulnerability, resilience, and profound cultural introspection.

What specific emotions or experiences do you hope to evoke in viewers through the repetitive and layered imagery in your work?

In the mundane narrative of my animation work, repetitive, abstract layers are used to convey various emotions: feelings of invisibility, vulnerability, anxiety, and moments of hope. These emotions appear as tangled line drawings of ocean waves, dirt roads, swaying trees, smoke, or destroyed buildings from earthquakes. I often place myself in these scenes from a first-person perspective—appearing as a tourist, a surfer, a mother carrying a baby, or someone searching for survivors after an earthquake.  Sometimes, I disappear entirely.

These emotions are deeply personal, accumulated over time through my frequent moves in early childhood and life between two different countries. I create personal narratives within the cyclical, ordinary yet fleeting environments we live in. Through my work, I hope to explore the shared narratives that connect us all.

How does the process of creating etchings and hand drawings contribute to the meaning of your video installations?

In my printmaking process, hundreds of images are etched and overlapped onto a single plate, creating a coexistence of the past and present. Each print builds upon the previous, overlapping images beneath it, capturing both time and movement. I often incorporate these prints into video installations or present them as standalone installations without animation.

The tangible textures of hand drawings add another layer to the video installations. I play with various strokes—quick erasures, reappearing charcoal lines, delicate pencil strokes, fast acrylic brushstrokes—to evoke a range of emotions in the moving image.

Can you discuss the significance of using fragile materials like plexiglass in your work and how it relates to your themes of memory and impermanence?

In each stage of the etching process, I carve over the ghosts of previous images, layering them on the same plexiglass. As I run it through the press, the images beneath gradually wear away, fading under the pressure, like old memories.

I enjoy exploring non-traditional surfaces: yellow notepads, brown wrapping paper, bathroom tiles—each carrying a sense of Asian identity, mundanity, and transience. Plexiglass, specifically, appeals to me because it’s easy to incise, add to, and erase images to. It’s not ideal for creating traditional print editions due to its fragility. Once, I had a piece of plexiglass that grew so thin after hundreds of pressings that it eventually broke before I could finish the print animation project. Although I appreciate the plexiglass’s sense of temporariness, I chose a thicker plate for the next project.

My work tells stories of feeling fragile, rejected, yet resilient—as an immigrant, an artist, a mother, and a person. In these repetitive, everyday layers—whether small or large cyclical patterns across an impermanent lifespan—there is also a constant flow of evolution and change.

In what ways do you see the relationship between your personal daily life and the broader cultural narratives in your art?

I have expanded my narrative as a first-generation immigrant and Asian woman. Each of my personal stories is woven together, touching on current social political issues. The Barbed Wire Series (2018) roots my anxiety in the political tension between the Trump administration and North Korea. The Smoke Series (2019) reflects the slow movement of smoke from California wildfires and earthquakes in Hawaii. Passersby (2022) expresses my frustration with the widespread Asian hate crimes in New York City during the pandemic.

In addition, starting with Burning Island (2008), an animation commissioned by the South Korean government for the Jeju Peace Museum, addressing the Jeju 4.3. uprising, I have been working with Jeju TV and contributing to its 4.3 documentaries to remember the brutal government repression led to the deaths of over 10% of Jeju’s population.

How do you approach the challenge of transforming everyday moments into something that feels significant or profound in your work?

There are innumerable actions around us every minute. Most of the time, they are repetitive and pass by too quickly to notice. I’m interested in observing and making these non-historical moments visible. These layers include not only everyday movements but also people, including myself. Starting with footage I capture in my surroundings, I break down the clips to create five images for each second of movement. I enjoy this process of breaking down and drawing each moment, revealing hidden layers on screen. I believe each layer, whether invisible or visible, is equally important to our history and deserves to be seen.

What role does technology play in your artistic practice, especially regarding the manipulation and presentation of moving images?

I often play with different scales in video presentation but try to avoid any possible manipulation in the editing process. I prefer a hands-on, low-tech approach, such as hand-drawn stop-motion, to create a direct interpretation of moving images. By focusing on my personal perspective, I create images that constantly move with lines that scribble, scratch, wobble, disappear, then reappear in everyday scenes.