Visualizing Emotions Through Art: Featured Artist Lee Uju

Visualizing Emotions Through Art: Featured Artist Lee Uju
Smile!, Oil on canvas (2024) 61 X 72 cm

What Does Emotion Look Like?

Visualizing emotions is a challenge that many artists grapple with. Emotions are intangible—deeply felt, yet impossible to see. While science tells us that everything begins in the brain, our hearts often defy logic, leaving us with feelings that are difficult to understand. Love, hate, pain—these emotions don’t always make sense, and they can be overwhelming. But what if we could see them? This question lies at the heart of Lee Uju’s artistic journey.

Visualizing Emotions: The Tangible Heart of Emotion

Lee Uju approaches emotions as if they were physical organs, embedded deep within our bodies. She imagines the heart not just as an organ, but as the core of our emotional experience, rooted inside us and dictating how we feel. Her exploration into this idea began during a period of severe depression, when she wished she could remove her emotions, much like one might remove a troublesome organ. Medication offered little relief, and she found herself imagining her emotions as complex, physical entities, something tangible she could grasp.

This concept sparked Lee’s exploration into visualizing emotions through her art. Transitioning from depicting depression, she began portraying emotions as abstract, organic forms. Her oil on canvas paintings are visceral and raw, offering viewers a glimpse into what the heart of emotion might look like if it were visible.

Explore more of Woojoo Lee’s artworks,
which delve deep into the complexities of the mind and offer comfort within their intricacies.

still-life of heart, Oil on paper (2021) 23 X 31 cm

A Journey from Pain to Understanding

Throughout her creative process, Lee Uju realized something significant: no emotion, no matter how painful or confusing, is wrong. Our emotions, with all their complexities, belong to us, and they must be accepted as part of who we are. Even when negativity feels overwhelming, there’s always a drive to love—others, ourselves, and the world around us.

Through her art, Lee conveys a powerful message: we shouldn’t let our emotions defeat us. Instead, we should strive to understand and embrace them. She hopes that those who view her work will find comfort and connection, perhaps even seeing a reflection of their own emotions in her paintings. By giving form to the intangible, her art brings us closer to understanding our true selves.

Intrigued by Unique Artistic Expressions?

If Lee Uju’s powerful use of color and form speaks to you, don’t miss out on the vivid, bold creations of SunWooGongIl. Dive into her striking work on our blog here.

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