In September 2025, Korean
contemporary artist Yunsung Lee opened his solo exhibition 《Frames
of Torso》at DDD ART Sono/Nagi in
Setagaya, Tokyo. Running from September 6 to 24, the show began with an opening
reception where the artist personally greeted local collectors and audiences.
Exhibition Opening / Photo: Yunsung Lee
Exhibition Opening / Photo: Yunsung Lee
Fusion
of Torso and Manga Frames
Lee has long explored the collision
between classical Western sculpture and the subculture of manga and animation
he encountered in his youth. At the center of this exhibition is the ‘Torso’
Series, where fragmented classical statues—missing arms and legs—are
reinterpreted in an anime-inspired style.
These incomplete bodies provide viewers with imaginative space, extending the
language of classical beauty into a contemporary visual context.
〈Between the Frames Fragment of Torso 02〉,
2025, Oil on Canvas, 33 x 90, 41 x 90 cm /
Photo : Yunsung Lee
〈Between the Frames Fragment of Torso 03〉, 2025, Oil on Canvas, each 36 x 90 cm 2 panels / Photo : Yunsung Lee
Between
the Frames
In this exhibition, Lee adopts
manga’s signature technique of “koma-wari” (frame division),
highlighting the gaps between images as autonomous sculptural
elements. These gaps reveal the intersections of figure and void, narrative and
rupture, demanding a new visual experience from the viewer.
〈Between the Frames Fragment of Torso 05〉, 2025, Oil on Canvas, each 91 x 19 cm 3 panels / Photo: Yunsung Lee
Subcultural
Variations
Alongside the Torso works, two
other series are presented.
The
Zodiac paintings reinterpret the twelve constellations as
SD-style characters, borrowing icons from popular culture while playfully
reconfiguring myth.
Another series reimagines the Laocoön
myth through manga-style imagery, where classical narrative collides with
contemporary subcultural language to produce new stories.
Bold color, radical fragmentation,
layering, and repetition define Lee’s practice, offering a vivid example of the
“hybrid aesthetics” pursued by many young Korean contemporary artists.
〈Between the Frames Fragment of Torso 09〉, 2025, Oil on Canvas, 90 x 40, 90 x 62 cm / Photo : Yunsung Lee
Korean
Subculture and the Exhibition’s Significance
Korean subculture has long
developed under the influence of Japanese manga and animation. Since the 1990s,
despite restrictions and censorship, Korean artists have expanded
manga-inspired imagination into painting, video, and design, forging their own
distinctive visual language. Lee belongs to this generation, blending manga’s
grammar with painterly exploration to chart new artistic terrain.
Thus, this exhibition carries
significance beyond that of a solo show. It embodies a circular movement: a
Korean artist shaped by Japanese manga now reintroduces those visual results
back in Japan. It is a site where culture migrates, collides, and is
recontextualized—a visual testimony to the intersection of Korean and Japanese
subcultures as they transform into the language of contemporary art.
Artist
Profile
Yunsung
Lee (b. 1985) graduated from the Department of Western
Painting at Chung-Ang University in 2011. Drawing from manga, video
games, and especially Japanese manga, he merges subcultural visual codes with
themes from classical Western art to construct experimental and original
imagery.
His practice begins with
translating classical myths and Christian narratives into the language
of contemporary subculture—manga, digital games, and animation. Though rooted
in classical motifs, his canvases are restructured through bold framing,
intense color, and layered textures, producing new narrative dimensions.
〈Zodiac〉, 2019, Oil on Canvas, 330 × 330 cm
Major series such as ‘NU-FRAME’,
‘Torso’, and ‘ZODIAC’ exemplify his approach. By combining fragments of
ancient sculpture, zodiac myths, and manga-style characters, these works
vividly address today’s key contemporary art concerns: cultural collision and
recontextualization.
Lee won the Doosan Artist Award
in 2014, which brought him critical attention in Korea. In 2016, he joined the Doosan
Residency in New York, broadening his international presence. Since then,
he has consistently expanded his activities, holding solo exhibitions in Seoul,
New York, Marseille, and most recently, Tokyo at DDD ART.
His work goes beyond mere genre
crossover, visually articulating the processes of cultural migration and
reinterpretation. Frequently cited as a prime example of “hybrid aesthetics”
in contemporary art, his paintings demonstrate the possibilities that emerge
when subculture intersects with classical art traditions.
DDD Art Gallery / Photo : DDD Art
About
DDD ART
DDD
ART is located in the Daizawa area of Setagaya, Tokyo, operating
across two venues: “Sono (苑)”
and “Nagi (凪)”.
Dedicated to contemporary art, the gallery focuses on discovering new visual
languages by emerging and mid-career artists, while fostering international
exchange. In recent years, DDD ART has actively introduced next-generation
artists from Korea, Japan, and across Asia, establishing itself as a platform
for experimental contemporary art in the region.
