From Soil to Earth is surely 'earth of the living being.'  And through his work, Lee explores how the living being of earth was created and where it originated, rather than simply talking about change from soil to earth.  For this reason, Lee may have believed that all sculptures could be born from the living being of earth.  Since From Soil to Earth, nearly all of Lee's works have been products of earth.  Should we not, therefore, call From Soil to Earth 'Gate to All Mystery'?  Chapter 1 of Laozi's Dao De Jing reads, "(The Dao that can be spoken is not the enduring and unchanging Dao.  The name that can be named is not the enduring and unchanging name. …) Lie in the deepest of my mystery, is the 'gate' to all wisdom and wonder.“

Written by Hye Jung CHO​

Korean Artist Project

www.koreanartistproject.com