Haevan Lee

Haevan Lee

Haevan Lee is a contemporary artist whose work navigates the complex relationship between landscape, history, and psychological experience. Born in 1990 in Dong Song-eup, Gangwon-do, near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), her art draws from this proximity to geopolitical conflict, incorporating themes of division, memory, and war. She currently lives and works between Seoul, South Korea, and The Hague, Netherlands.

Artistic Vision and Themes

Lee’s work explores the psychological and political landscapes of border areas, often blending traditional and modern art forms. Her DMZ Landscape Series is a defining body of work, transforming photography-prohibited regions into layered paintings and sculptures. A notable part of this series was created after her stay at the Peace Culture Bunker in Seoul, which was originally an anti-tank defense structure built in 1968 after a North Korean guerilla invasion. This experience informed her 2018 exhibition, Goliaths, Tanks, where she reconstructed landscapes associated with conflict as symbolic spaces of emotional depth​.

Through her ongoing Dopa+Project, Lee collaborates with multinational artists, researchers, and experts to investigate the sustainability of collective work across borders. Her commitment to transdisciplinary, cross-border collaboration reflects her deep interest in themes of connectivity and division​.

Key Exhibitions

• Pyeongchang Biennale (2017): This exhibition emphasized geopolitical issues in the context of South Korea’s ongoing division.
• Bangkok Art Biennale (2020): Lee’s work at this international exhibition continued her exploration of border politics and the environmental and psychological dimensions of divided landscapes.
• Battleground (2024) at Bradwolff Projects, Amsterdam: In this exhibition, Lee presented vibrant geometric shapes and abstract sculptures to comment on the harsh realities of war​.
  
   

Artistic Philosophy

Lee considers art as a way to bridge the visible and invisible, the familiar and unfamiliar. For her, creating art is like opening a "third eye" to reinterpret landscapes and histories, transforming them into layered works that carry emotional and symbolic weight. Her unique perspective brings both personal and universal resonance to issues of conflict, memory, and identity.

Education 

• Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea,Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Oriental Painting

• Royal Academy of Art (KABK), The Hague, Netherlands,Master of Arts (MA) in Artistic Research​