Born in 1983 in Seoul, Guk-Hyun Lee (이국현) holds an M.A. in Western Painting from Chung-Ang University in Korea. His technical proficiency in oil painting is crudely sharp and accurate, allowing him to depict cold, almost mechanical scenes of what he describes as « sexual fantasy » or « human insufficiency ». Where the eye sees an image of lust and fantasy, Lee Guk-Hyun dissects the innermost depths of desire to highlight the mechanism of objectification. 

By scrupulously orchestrating a visual field where he juxtaposes sparkling gems, creased velvet sheets, masquerade ball masks alongside subconscious body language, faint bruises or smeared lipstick marks on parted lips, Guk-Hyun suppresses whatever identity is left in

the model. 

His paintings depict images of sexual commodities that one can explore without feeling the guilt of being observed in return. In a broader perspective, Lee Guk-Hyun provides us with a visual response to the subversivness of the gaze and therefore uncovers the moral duality of modern societies.