South Korean artists transformed Instagram posts into portraits

South Korean artists transformed Instagram posts into portraits

For many people, the endless scrolling on Instagram is an eternal waste of time. For the celebrated, young South Korean artist Moka Lee, on the other hand, it is the main source of her inspiration for impressive portraits that have already been sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

inspiration through social media

"I can watch countless people, only with my cell phone without meeting them," says Lee in an interview with CNN. "I'm waiting to find something unique in the pictures that I happen to discover through the algorithm," she adds.

exhibition in Zurich

This week her portrait "Surface Tension 07", which a young woman, who she got to know through the social media app, will be exhibited by the London Gallery Carlos/Ishikawa at the Art Basel art fair in Switzerland. The painting shows a young woman who wears a wide white t-shirt and smiles wide as her pony hair falls on her face.

observations about self -expression

The 28-year-old artist also used other sources to find pictures, including Google searches and the work of the American photographer Nan Goldin. However, she finds it fascinating how people present themselves in their carefully curated Instagram contributions. "It may have something dark in a certain way, but I find it very interesting in my own way because I see so many people who share themselves," she explains. "The few pictures they publish on Instagram use people to express themselves."

creative contact

If Lee finds a photo that you like, she sends a direct message to the possible motif to ask if she can buy the rights to the picture. Jason Haam, whose gallery represents in Seoul Lee, says that Lee's relationship with her portrayed people reflects how human interactions have changed over time. "The Mona Lisa was painted with a person who was sitting in front of the artist all the time," he refers to Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece from the 16th century. Lee, on the other hand, contacts this person who never met and says: 'Oh, I would like to paint your portrait and I pay you a certain amount for it.' And they never see each other, ”he explains.

success at the international level

The artist has already achieved enormous successes with her work and was represented at important exhibitions such as Art Basel Hong Kong in 2023. "It sparked great interest from all over the world," says Haam. This was followed by "really immediate fame", he adds.

high sales figures

at the end of 2024 her painting "I'm not like me", which shows a woman with red lips and a undershirt sitting on a bed, at an auction in Hong Kong for more than $ 200,000 sold . This is a record price for an artist in the 20s in this country, says Haam.

recognition for new talents

lee was also in the vanguard list for 2025 emphasizes promising contemporary artists. She tells CNN that her inquiries were often rejected to Instagram users, but now it is easier for her to win people who make themselves available as motives for their art.

creative work process

A recently completed painting, which is 190 centimeters high and 160 centimeters wide, took a month to complete a month, working on it for 10 hours a day. Lee uses oil paints, a traditional western medium that it considers to be necessary to take part in the international art markets. Nevertheless, she combines this with what she calls "Asian techniques". It refers to watercolor painting, in which layers of paint are stacked on top of each other to create depth and texture.

unique aesthetics

Your paintings owe your work process to unmistakable aesthetic quality. Haam explains: "Lee dilks her colors. She paints very, very thin, but the layers are applied so that you can see all these mysterious colors flashing. I have never seen anything like this."

international expansion

It is an aesthetic that quickly gains popularity for buyers. "My career is now expanding from South Korea into foreign markets," says Lee, "but I am someone who just looks at his cell phone in a small room in my studio in South Korea, so it doesn't feel real at all."

with reporting by Erica Hwang.