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Thing
Jungjin Lee


“For me, photographs exist not as an outcome, but as a tool. Rather than a reproduction of reality or a reconstruction of visual beauty, they serve as the foundation for fundamental contemplation — thoughts that cannot be expressed in words, ideas that cannot be asserted or emphasized in a single way, moments that are neither flowing nor still, an interruption in an infinitely open space, silent yet intense, surreal fragments of everyday life, and metaphorical means of expression — and so images have been chosen. The Thing series, unlike my previous works, comes from something closer to me, something familiar. That familiarity comes is the act of waiting and a secret communication between myself and the objects. This familiarity, in turn, becomes unfamiliar through the emptiness of thought. Emptiness, like the white space in a photograph, makes the objects dream.” _Jungjin Lee, 2025

Jungjin Lee’s “Thing” series consists of works capturing everyday objects in intimate close-ups, which are then printed in black and white on Korean handmade paper. Through a meditative shooting process, the artist distills the essence of the subject, removing all extraneous elements. Backgrounds and shadows are eliminated, and the forms are simplified, while the empty spaces are filled with the artist’s emotions and internalized thoughts. In particular, the white spaces surrounding each dark object reflect an Eastern painting and calligraphy concept of “emptiness.” Through this blank space, the objects acquire a new meaning. Lee raises questions about the artistic role of exploring and expressing the essence of existence through observation.

This series holds a unique and distinctive position in the artist's oeuvre, which is generally comprised of landscapes. The vitality of the “Thing” series, which had remained unaltered for 20 years, is transformed today into an elegant object through hanji (Korean handmade paper) and traditional handbinding techniques. We are proud to present “Thing,” an artist's book with a beautiful presence created in collaboration between Jungjin Lee and Datz Press, embodying Korean materials and characteristics.


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First Edition, 1,500 copies
2025
34.5 × 27.5 cm
66 pages
Hardcover / Quadtone UV printing / Korean traditional hand-stitch binding
ISBN 978-89-97605-90-3

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