Segmentation series
“The segmentation series is inspired by my fascination with science of cell, its division and the journey of growth that starts from a single cell and goes through a million divisions to become a life. I work with glass that has transparency and translucency, two qualities that serve as perfect metaphors for what is known and unknown about life science. The segmented, geometrical forms of my work represent cells, embryos, biological and molecular structures—each symbolizing the building blocks of life as well as the starting point of life.”
Jiyong Lee is a studio artist and educator who lives and works in Carbondale, Illinois, the United States. A professor of art at Southern Illinois University, Lee has headed the glass program there since 2005.
Jiyong Lee’s Segmentation series is inspired by his fascination with the science of cell, its division, and the journey of growth that starts from a single cell and goes through a million divisions to become a life. Observing the microscopic images and the astonishing, alien, bizarre, spaceship-like forms and structures of the lives under the microscope captivated him past two decades. This series of creative transmutation has been a serene journey away from the busy and chaotic real life for the artist.
He works with glass that has transparency and translucency, two qualities that serve as perfect metaphors for what is known and unknown about life science. The segmented, geometrical forms represent cells, embryos, biological and molecular structures—each symbolizing the building blocks of life as well as the starting point of life. Its complex structure and layers with various densities of translucency, transparency, and opacity metaphorically address the co-existence of what is known and unknown. The uniquely refined translucent glass surfaces suggest the mysterious qualities of cells and, on a larger scale, the cloudiness of their futures. The Segmentation series is subtle and quiet yet structurally complex. In each work, the clear solid glass is transformed through cutting, lamination, carving, and surface refining processes to make art visually intriguing and deeply invested with meaning.
Jiyong Lee: Cell cube with purple manipulation, 9″h x 8 1/4″w x 8 5/8″d, 2012
Jiyong Lee: Diatom Segmentation, 5.75 x 12.25 inch, 2018
Jiyong Lee: embryo segmentation-complexity of life, 7″h x 11.5″w x 5.75″d, 2011
Jiyong Lee: Green Cosmarium Segmentation, 7.25 x 10 x 7.25 inch, 2018
Jiyong Lee: Green yellow diatom segmentation, 8.5 x 12 inch, 2020, front view.
Jiyong Lee: Grey diatom segmentation, 5.25 x 12.5 inch, 2018
Jiyong Lee: head thorax abdomen, white drosophila embryo segmentation, 6.3h x 9.8w x 6d (inch), 2013
Jiyong Lee: Mitosis, 8.6 x 14.5 inch, 2019
Jiyong Lee: White Orange Chromosome, 7 x 12 x 16 inch, 2017
Jiyong Lee: Geometric embryo segmentation, 17 x 14 x 14 inch, 2016
Jiyong Lee: White orange segmented half cylinder, 8 x 14 x 7.5 inch, 2015
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All images copyright and courtesy of Jiyong Lee
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