Born in 1956 in Cheongdo, South Korea, Lee Bae embarked on his artistic journey at Hongik University Graduate School of Art in Seoul, where he began his M.F.A. studies in 1979. Since 1990, he has lived and worked between Paris, France, and Seoul, South Korea, cultivating a unique artistic vision that bridges cultures and traditions.Lee Bae’s work revolves around a singular, evocative force: materiality. His abstract compositions achieve a perfect balance between the deep, velvety black of charcoal and the luminous, milky white surfaces created through resin and meticulously layered acrylic paint. The resulting smooth textures form the very "skin" of his paintings, where fluid, weightless lines appear like fleeting shadows. Stripped of narrative or anecdotal elements, his forms exist as pure visual expressions—mental images methodically repeated on canvas to bring them to life. This dynamic interplay between strength and lightness imbues his work with an energy that transcends the material, offering a profound sense of purity and spirituality.