Pair of Red & Green Enameled Copper Mugs by Kwangho Lee, c. 2012

With their stunning and explosive design, these copper mugs are a near-perfect example of Lee’s sensitivity to enamel as a medium — a talent that can be similarly observed in his sculpture, wall art, furniture, and other small-scale decorative objects. Cubist in construction, Brutalist in execution, and highly contemporary in execution, this pair is a special example of the young Korean artist’s brilliance.

Kwangho Lee was born in 1981 and grew up in a small city next to Seoul, Korea. He completed his studies at Hongik University in Seoul, majoring Metal Art & Design, and graduated in February 2007. He currently lives and works in Seoul. This year marks his 10th year since the start of his career as a designer. Making things by hand was a great joy as a child, reminding his grandfather who, a farmer himself, constantly hand-made daily household goods from natural materials found nearby. Kwangho Lee appreciated the way he looked at everyday objects and thus began to approach things in similar ways; to give new meaning and function to the most ordinary. Today, as he continuously presents new series of works, he develops his practice by discovering moments of materials joining another. Until now he made works on marble and marble, copper and enamel, steel and steel and tries to describe in his works the instant moment of union.