SUNGCHUL LEE is a South Korean visual artist whose practice is rooted in his background in photojournalism. After working for seven years as a photojournalist and two years as a military photographer, he transitioned to fine art to explore the emotional residues of both his career and personal experiences. He mainly uses photography, installation, and performance art, exploring interior and exterior spaces through emotions of erasure and transformation. Through his work, he revisits his past, deconstructing and reconstructing his memory within space.
EDUCATION
Royal College of Art, London, UK — MA Contemporary Art Practice, Starting Fall 2025
Rhode Island School of Design, RI, United States — BFA in Photography, 2025
AWARDS AND GRANTS
Winner, ViewPoint Gallery 2025 International Photography Competition, 2025
Top 3 Finalist, Dek Unu Magazine Solo Feature Artist Selection, 2025
Official Selection, International Photography Awards (IPA), 2024
Nomination, Yale Norfolk Summer Art Residency, 2024
Photo of the Year, 57th Korea Press Photo Awards, 2021
1st place: Spot News, 216th Monthly Korea Press Photo Awards, 2021
2nd place: Art and Entertainment, 213th Monthly Korea Press Photo Awards, 2021
2nd place: Art and Entertainment, 57th Korea Press Photo Awards, 2021
Photojournalist of the Month, News1 Journalist Awards, 2020
1st place: Portrait, 206th Monthly Korea Press Photo Awards, 2020
3rd place: Art and Entertainment, 56th The Korea Press Photo Awards, 2020
1st place: Story, 199th Monthly Korea Press Photo Awards, 2019
Photojournalist of the Year, Incheon-Gyeonggi Journalists of the Year Awards, 2019
2nd place: Feature, 199th Monthly Korea Press Photo Awards, 2019
2nd place: Portrait, 198th Monthly Korea Press Photo Awards, 2019
1st place: Feature, 197th Monthly Korea Press Photo Awards, 2019
Best Journalist, Incheon Ilbo Journalist Awards, 2019
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Vision(ary), Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA, USA, June–September, 2025
Der Greif x Various Others – Pictures on a Journey, Hotel Bayerischer Hof, Munich, Germany, 2025
PEP (Photography Exhibition Project) – B-Part Exhibition, Berlin, Germany, 2025
Untitled, Harvard University 92 Seattle St Gallery, Boston, MA, USA, 2025
Contemporary 6th Edition, Boomer Gallery, London, UK, 2025
This Must be the Place, RISD President’s House, Providence, RI, USA, 2025-2026
In Between: The Spaces of Belonging, RISD Gelman Gallery, Providence, RI, USA, 2025
Major Survey Show, RISD Gelman Gallery, Providence, RI, USA, 2024
57th Korea Press Photo Exhibition, Korea Press Center, Seoul, South Korea, 2021
56th Korea Press Photo Exhibition, Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Seoul, South Korea, 2020
Gyeonggi Press Photo Exhibition (Traveling), Suwon City Hall, etc., South Korea, 2018–2020
Small Town USA (Traveling), U.S. Embassy in Seoul, etc., South Korea, 2017-2018
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS
See-Zeen Magazine, Photo Included, 2025
F-Stop Magazine, Photo Included, 2025
Scale Journal (RISD & Brown University), Cover Feature, 2025
The Weasel Magazine (New York University), Photo Included, 2025
Hankook Ilbo, Front-Page Photo Feature, June 11, 2022
The New York Times “Turning Points: Global Agenda”, Multiple Photos Included, 2021
Seoul Shinmun, Front-Page Photo, Jan 28, 2021
Money Today, Front-Page Photo, Jan 28, 2021
Seoul Shinmun, Front-Page Photo, June 15, 2021
The Dong-A Ilbo, Front-Page Photo Feature, Dec. 30, 2020
Money Today, Front-Page Photo, Dec. 30, 2020
JoongAng Ilbo, Front-Page Photo, Aug. 15, 2020
The Dong-A Ilbo, Front-Page Photo, June 13, 2020
The Chosun Ilbo, Regular Contributor, 2020–2022
The Dong-A Ilbo, Regular Contributor, 2020–2022
JoongAng Ilbo, Regular Contributor, 2020–2022
Seoul Shinmun, Regular Contributor, 2020–2022
Hankook Ilbo, Regular Contributor, 2020–2022
Segye Ilbo, Regular Contributor, 2020–2022
The Korea Economic Daily, Regular Contributor, 2020–2022
The Financial News, Regular Contributor, 2020–2022
Money Today, Regular Contributor, 2020–2022
EDAILY, Regular Contributor, 2020–2022
News1 Korea, Regular Contributor, 2020–2022
Media Today, Photo Feature, 2020
KBS, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
SBS, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
MBC, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
JTBC, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
YTN, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
Yonhap News TV, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
TV Chosun, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
Channel A, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
MBN, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
The Chosun Ilbo, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
JoongAng Ilbo, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
The Dong-A Ilbo, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
Kyunghyang Shinmun, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
Segye Ilbo, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
Kukmin Ilbo, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
Seoul Shinmun, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
Seoul Economic Daily, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
Money Today, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
The Korea Economic Daily, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
Asia Business Daily, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
Maeil Business Newspaper, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
Aju Business Daily, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
Sports Kyunghyang, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
Yonhap News Agency, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
News1 Korea, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
Newsis, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
No Cut News, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
KUKINEWS, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
E-Today, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
Nate News, Exclusive Photo Feature, 2019
Incheon Ilbo, Regular Contributor, 2017-2019
“Small Town USA” published by U.S. Embassy Seoul, Photo Feature, 2017
News Time, Regular Contributor, 2015–2016
WORK EXPERIENCES
In South Korea, worked as a full-time photojournalist for various media outlets from 2015 to 2022 and served as a military photographer in the army from 2012 to 2013.