Timothy Hyunsoo Lee originates from Seoul, Korea, butwas raised in New York and stayed in America to study drawing, developmental biology, and neuroscience at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. His website describes him as a man who has suffered from anxiety and panic attacks since a young age, and he uses his degree in combination with his creative skills to create work that explores the double identity of a foreign person in America, struggling to fit in while remaining a member of another culture at heart. His vast collection of paper sculptures, laced with intricate cell-like patterns and delicate water color faces or features, seem to convey this kind of inner monologue that goes on in a foreign persons mind, specifically those of a Korean, when they are learning how to hold on to their identity in another culture and how multifaceted the human mind can be.

The sculptures themselves are astounding in the amount of detail they have and the stark white flow of light that seems to be radiating from them. Lee’s scientist side comes out in the construction of these cell-like structures, which look like computer generated 3D models of some type of organism. Varying cut-outs and folds create smooth shadows and add a sort of fluid feeling to the paper. The expressions on the faces of the Korean faces can be described as strained or fatigued. It seems that Lee painted his Korean figures with open mouths and noses in the first two photos, giving the impression that these people are trying to get a breath. Not being able to breath is commonly associated with hyperventilating when having a panic attack, and the faces in addition to the flexibleness and curling over of the paper gives the pieces a common theme of breath, or the lack there of. Each piece in the third photo seems to be dealing with a different Korean identity, because there is a pair of eyes painted on each piece of paper, and eyes are usually affiliated with truth or the soul of a being.

I was personally inspired by Lee’s concept and visual representation because, not only were they visually pleasing, but their striking aesthetic instantly screamed identity to me. The concentration for my AP Drawing portfolio was centered around identity, and how the experiences and fears we have are subconsciously shaping who we are all the time. The fact that one of my favorite mediums is cut paper also drew me to these pieces because of the intricacy of the patterns and the beautiful three-dimensional form the paper takes on when suspended under white light. I found the form of shading with the grey and purple water color cells very subtle and soft on the eye, while the reddish pink features of the skin was somewhat disturbing and fleshy against the pure white paper. I immediately felt the sense of panic or gasping for air that the Korean faces express, and I found Lee’s manifestation of his personal experience with anxiety and identity very effective in representing a broader spectrum of people who have been through similar struggles, and know how important it is to breath in places and times of high pressure.

More of Lee’s work can bee seen at his website: http://www.timothyhlee.com
or at: http://www.booooooom.com/2015/09/21/amazing-hand-cut-paper-sculptures-by-timothy-hyunsoo-lee/