Cover From Singapore to Seoul and onwards to the mountains of Yeoju, we journeyed deep into the South Korean countryside to meet artist Lee Gil Rae, whose monumental copper trees are rooted in resilience, patience and time itself
From Singapore to Seoul and onwards to the mountains of Yeoju, we journeyed deep into the South Korean countryside to meet artist Lee Gil Rae, whose monumental copper trees are rooted in resilience, patience and time itself
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Tatler+
In the mountains beyond Seoul, South Korean artist Lee Gil Rae transforms thousands of copper rings into meditations on resilience, memory and time. Tatler Singapore journeys to his home and studio for an intimate portrait of the artist behind the trees
On a deceptively sunny spring day in March, Tatler went on a road trip in Seoul.
Two hours from the South Korean capital, the city gave way to countryside. Along Route 52, the pastoral landscape unfurled before us in a sea of undulating gold. Trees still stood motionless in the last throes of winter, their branches stilled against blue skies that sat vis-à-vis on the horizon. We travelled through soaring mountains, tunnels and winding country roads, further and further from the metropolis, in search not merely of an artist, but something more elusive: the soul of his work.
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At the end of that journey stood the home and studio of Lee Gil Rae in Yeoju, Gyeonggi-do—a place where time seems to move at a different rhythm altogether.
It is here that the South Korean sculptor creates his celebrated pine trees, monumental sculptures painstakingly fashioned from thousands of welded copper rings. From afar, they appear impossibly organic. Up close, they reveal themselves as intricate lattices of industrial material, transformed by hand into something almost alive.
Above Lee Gil Rae’s masterpieces are celebrated in this Tatler film
The contrast is precisely what captivated Ode To Art's gallery executive, Joanne Low—who also chaperoned Tatler during our adventure—when she first encountered his work.
"I was immediately struck by the quiet poetry of it," she says. "From a distance, the sculptures feel like living trees, but discovering that they are made from thousands of welded copper pipes creates a powerful contrast. Industrial material is transformed into something delicate and almost spiritual."
Above In Korea, the pine tree symbolises endurance. In Lee Gil Rae's hands, it becomes something more—a meditation on survival, memory and the quiet refusal to disappear
In Korea, the pine tree symbolises endurance. In Lee Gil Rae's hands, it becomes something more—a meditation on survival, memory and the quiet refusal to disappear
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The transformation lies at the heart of Lee Gil Rae’s practice. Although today he is synonymous with his copper pines, his journey began elsewhere. When he started working professionally with metal in 2005, his subjects were fruits rather than trees. Over time, however, his fascination with nature deepened, eventually leading him to the Korean pine, or geumgangsong—a tree revered in Korean culture for its resilience, longevity and unwavering endurance.
Above Each sculpture is formed from thousands of individual copper rings welded together one by one. The result is more than a tree—it is a record of patience made tangible
Each sculpture is formed from thousands of individual copper rings welded together one by one. The result is more than a tree—it is a record of patience made tangible
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"The pine tree represents a quiet refusal to disappear," Lee reflects. "It stands without spectacle, surviving wind, snow and solitude. In many ways, the pine mirrors how I understand existence: restrained, patient and persistent."
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The sentiment feels particularly fitting within the landscape that surrounds him. Beyond the studio windows, mountains rise and fall across the horizon. Inside, coils of copper gather in neat formations, resembling cellular structures waiting to become something larger. Nearby sit traces of process and experimentation: nails, ink, glue, scratches and sketches accumulated over years of making.
For Lee, creation extends beyond welding. By day, he works with metal. By night, he sketches.
"Healing time," Lee Gil Rae calls it.
The phrase surfaces repeatedly in conversation, revealing how deeply reflection is woven into his practice. The repetitive gestures of drawing, welding and assembling are not merely technical exercises but meditative acts.
Above Steel. Copper. Fire. Materials associated with industry become forests in the hands of Lee Gil Rae, blurring the boundary between the man-made and the organic
Steel. Copper. Fire. Materials associated with industry become forests in the hands of Lee Gil Rae, blurring the boundary between the man-made and the organic
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"The repetition of welding thousands of units is not mechanical," he explains. "It is rhythmic. Over time, the act dissolves thought and leaves only movement and breath. The work becomes a form of silent meditation."
Watching him work, it is easy to understand what he means. Each copper ring functions as a structural cell. Thousands are painstakingly joined together, accumulating branch by branch, trunk by trunk. What emerges is less a sculpture than a record of devotion—a physical manifestation of patience itself.
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"Once you witness the thousands of copper rings being patiently welded together, you realise how much time, discipline and perseverance go into each piece," says Low. "The finished sculpture becomes a quiet accumulation of effort."
That accumulation is visible everywhere: in the monumental roots that anchor his trees like ancient giants, in the copper surfaces that catch and reflect light, and in the material itself.
"Copper carries memory," says Lee. "When shaped slowly and attentively, it begins to breathe."
Above There is nothing loud about Lee Gil Rae's work. Like the pine trees that inspire it, its power lies in persistence, resilience and an unwavering sense of purpose. Through the vision of Jazz Chong and Joanne Low, Ode To Art has spent more than a decade championing the South Korean artist's quiet poetry, introducing his remarkable sculptures to collectors across the region
There is nothing loud about Lee Gil Rae's work. Like the pine trees that inspire it, its power lies in persistence, resilience and an unwavering sense of purpose. Through the vision of Jazz Chong and Joanne Low, Ode To Art has spent more than a decade championing the South Korean artist's quiet poetry, introducing his remarkable sculptures to collectors across the region
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Even after the work leaves his hands, the transformation continues. Copper oxidises. Patinas deepen. Time leaves its mark.
"Oxidation is not decay to me," he says. "It is time made visible."
Perhaps that is the enduring beauty of Lee Gil Rae's work. His sculptures are not simply trees; they are meditations on growth, resilience and the passage of time itself. Through thousands of gestures made by hand and guided by heart, he reminds us that the strongest things are often built quietly—like the pine tree, like memory, and like the artist himself.
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Credits
Content Direction: Adriel Chiun
Videography: Melvin Wong
Video Editor: Melvin Wong
Photography: Melvin Wong
Adriel Chiun is the Branded Content Editor of Tatler Singapore.
