Korean photographer captures the transformative power of nature for the latest installment of Saint Laurent’s expressive Self project.
By HASSAN AL-SALEH
Photography DAESUNG LEE
An expression of individuality through the work of photographers, artists and filmmakers, Self, curated by Saint Laurent’s creative director Anthony Vaccarello, is an ongoing collaborative project that synthesizes different aspects of the Saint Laurent personality. For its seventh installment, Vaccarello has collaborated with six photographers across six opinion-forming cities including Los Angeles, Paris, London, Seoul and Tokyo. An artistic commentary on society, the artistic exchange is free from pretense and hypocrisy.
In Seoul, Self 07 is viewed through the lens of Korean photographer Daesung Lee. Growing up in a rural village, he was fascinated by nature from an early age and has since become a passionate environmentalist. As an artist, he adopts a conceptual approach in documentary photography, playing between fiction and reality through an enigmatic visualization.
“Spring 2020 was surreal but real. The whole world stopped. No one could easily describe such a feeling in words,” says Lee. “Ironically, nature revived and came back to us once we stopped being indoors. Nature gave us back all the forgotten senses. The sky was so blue, more than ever, birds were singing so loudly out of my apartment window and the leaves of the trees in the streets were greener than ever. It was such a surreal experience. Since then, I no longer see the world in the same way.”
In what can be described as being lost but found, Lee explains, “For the Self project, I attempted to visualize that strange experience during lockdown. An imaginary nature, that you can only see in your inner self, that you can only feel in your own senses. We all lived in our own universe in that time. I hope that you find yourself in these images.”
DAESUNG LEE, MAGNUM PHOTOS GUEST PHOTOGRAPHER FOR SAINT LAURENT BY ANTHONY VACCARELLO.