www.groovekorea.com July 2016
tens of millions of won. The main buyers of Master Lee’s products are temples, which prefer his larger works, particularly seated Buddhas and altar triads. Individuals prefer his medium to small works, which range from boy Buddhas to miniature reproductions of ancient statues of the sort found in the Gyeongju National Museum. Naturally, depictions of Amitabha Buddha, the most popular manifestation of Buddha in Korea, and Gwaneum, the equally popular bodhisattva of compassion, are the most frequent; for anyone with over 50 million won to spend, a gold leaf-covered 1.5-meter statue of Gwaneum with 18 arms is for sale. Master Lee also makes portable wooden triptychs that can be used by both monks and laity. Visitors need not be believing Buddhists to be impressed by what is found at Yeojin Buddhist Art Museum; all one needs is a receptive mind and a willingness to step out of the ordinary for an hour. Yeojin provides everyone with a special retreat and immersion in meditative labor, which shows that religious representational art can still be a going concern, even in the age of the smart phone.
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losophy of tapping into his deepest self while working comes into play. Traditionally, all Buddhist art conveys the philosophical message of Buddhism, and helps viewers on their paths to enlightenment. For the Buddhist artist, creating works of Buddhist art is likewise a philosophical and spiritual exercise, so Master Lee puts much intense personal effort into each piece he produces. Master Lee also taps deeply into Korean tradition to create his sculptures, but anyone visiting his museum can see that he is up-todate as well. He follows the classic sketching, clay modeling, trimming, chiseling, carving and gilding process, yet his works have a contemporary look to them that sets them apart from mere copies of museum pieces, although he does those on demand for a variety of clients. This makes stepping into his workshop behind the sales room such a surprise: what one sees is basically what would have been in a Buddhist sculptor’s workshop in the Joseon Dynasty, but much is also technologically modern. The most surprising presence is the squares of 24-carat gold paper that are expertly applied to the surfaces of the wooden statues by a craftswoman; they raise the value of Master Lee’s statues into
Edited by Naheen Madarbakus-Ring (naheen@groovekorea.com)
S t ay c a t i o n
Visitors need not be believing Buddhists to be impressed by what is found at Yeojin Buddhist Art Museum; all one needs is a receptive mind and willingness to step out of the ordinary for an hour.