"This series was inspired by my personal experience at a ski resort when I was crazy about snowboarding. I was out on the slopes before dawn when it was still pitch black. A thick fog had settled on the mountainside. I was surrounded by what seemed like an opaque white wall as soon as I glided into the fog. I could feel the wind tearing through my body. I could hear the sharp edge of my snowboard slicing the snow. The brief swooshing sounds from other snowboarders were the only way I could tell I was still moving forward.
I was surrounded by others, yet I was on a path of my own. My eyes were open but there was nothing in sight I could only feel the presence of others by sound. It was a magical experience. My friend and I met up at the bottom of the slope. Even then we felt that we had experienced something special, a metaphor for life itself. It was a moment of true solitude and an unexpected gift from nature. My senses were awake and acutely aware of its surroundings. I was meditating. My emotions swung between fear and relief. I wanted to capture this moment of self-discovery and expand upon this subject in a series.
We all experience uncertainty, hopelessness, irresolution, and despair. In these vague and foggy moments, we feel alone, forced to face our insecurities and crippling loneliness. The series is a portrait of the modern man and his everyday life.
In this work, I combine light, my body, and fog. ‘Stage of Mind’ was a series of spaces filled with objects. This time I take a minimalist route, using bare minimal materials to create a narrative. My goal is to focus on the psychological state and situations. The scene is paradoxical; it is full and empty at the same time. I hope the audiences get to relive their own experience by placing themselves in the photograph."
JeeYoung Lee