Lee Gap Chul

Lee Gap Chul unveils his new series Conflict and Reaction, a contemplative exploration of the inner worlds of humans, nature, and community. The images of a woman emerging from a cave and a man seemingly floating atop a tree evoke the fragility of human existence amid the vast forces of nature and a profound reverence for the natural world. Faced with an overwhelming world, humans either submit to nature or offer rituals of conquest. This moment of conflict between natural order and human desire gives rise to a reverent and accepting response, or “reaction.” Through this dynamic, Lee invites a renewed contemplation of the relationship between humanity and the natural environment. The tensions of conflict and reaction experienced in his photographs metaphorically express the spiritual resonance of time and force embedded in nature permeating the human psyche, awakening both a humility before nature and an indomitable will to transcend it.