APPROACHING ABSTRACTION
HYEIN LEE & SURASTI PURI
Born in South Korea, Hyein Lee is an artist whose work is concerned with animal and environmental rights, feminism and mathematics. Currently a student at SiPicturebook School, her illustrations seek to reveal how our behaviour impacts the world around us. “I’m interested in veganism and feminism,” she explains, “I think women’s bodies ought to be respected in their own, raw shape, and not be over-sexualised.” However, Hyein approaches these subjects in a distinctly abstract way, using angular lines and shapes that express the uniqueness and potency of the natural female form.
“I’m very attracted to mathematical signs and merging these shapes with humans or objects,” she told Cluster, “I believe mathematical signs have their own beauty, which I have recently begun to implement in my art.” Reminiscent of Picasso, she breaks up the human figure into segments, transforming the physicality of her subjects into something akin to mathematics and geometry, and by doing so renders their imperfections perfect.
Using oil pastels, coloured paper and coloured pencils, Hyein adds texture to her work via collage. Usually, she begins each piece by sketching, experimenting with mixed materials and letting the emotional register of the work reveal itself. Through Cluster, she has found many interesting artists and projects. “I am looking forward to connecting with the Cluster community further,” she told us. Recently, Hyein has been working on a series of figurative projects whilst working on publishing her own picture book.
Domestic Scenes
Similarly, Surasti Puri uses abstraction to defamiliarise, transforming memories into something unexpected and new. Her time at the Srishti School of Art and Design gave her an insight into structural design principles, however, she turned to illustration in order to break these rules and gain more creative freedom outside of client briefs. “My subjects are based on memory or what I see around me,” she told Cluster, “I focus on basics like colour, lines and shapes to help me create a variety of compositions.”
Her piece selected by Cluster was an illustration made for TEDx Bangalore and features two women dancing near a lake as a cat watches on. Her use of abstract shapes renders the piece universal; while her choice of colours hints at their whereabouts, the anonymity offered by floating abstract forms makes it easy for the viewer to insert themselves into the scene.
Sunrise
Urban Abstractions
Working from memory, Surasti begins with an image she may have seen around town or on her travels, making a note of it on her phone to return to later. “I really enjoy layering, adding more paint that obscures what’s underneath creates multiple meanings,” she added. In the past, her go-to materials have been gouache and watercolour, but these days she prefers a varied toolbox – from oil pastels and paints to coloured pencils, charcoal and collage. Surasti has recently taken part in a course at the Leicester Print Workshop, where she’s been introduced to many new techniques. “My plan is to start a series of drypoint illustrations and maybe some monoprints as well,” she told us. Presently, she has some etchings underway, and we can’t wait to see the results.
William Kandinsky once said that “form itself, even if completely abstract, has its own inner sound.” Through their considered formal experiments in abstraction, the work of Hyein
and Surasti manage to visualise this inner sound in their own distinctive ways.
Work by both Hyein Lee and Surasti Puri can be viewed on the Cluster Illustration platform
and purchased through our Cluster Illustration Online Shop.
Thank you for reading,
Stephanie Gavan & Cluster Team.