Laurent Dumoulin,Lee Jaedong, was born in 1982 in Jeonju in South Korea. At the age of four months he was adopted by a French family, and he has spent his life in France. In 2009 he reunited with his biological family and he now travels regularly to Korea. Fascinated with drawing from a very young age, he studied art and graphics in Montpellier in 1999, and experimented with several mediums before finding his path.
His favorite means of expression are water colors, acrylics, and aerosol spray paints.
In 2012 he created Kréadéco, a decorating enterprise which specialises in street art and murals. He realises murals for individuals, enterprises, communities, associations…
He also animates graffiti workshops and intervenes in schools and leisure activity centers.
He participates in jam graffiti street art animations where he can express himself freely. He is also at work on several personal projects while, at the same time, developing his enterprise.
His realisations are related to street art which he adapts to interior design, graphics, comic strips. He brings together different techniques, constantly searching for new surfaces.
His work is also about his original first name which, with time, has become his signature. In more personal works, his name is emphasised; these works are dedicated to graffiti, where the name is of central importance. Korea and its multiculrtural personality are therefore omnipresent in his personal paintings.
People and landscapes also figure in his artworks, in cartoon or realistic styles.
The origin of his name
At first, he signed “Sane”, but in 2013 he decided definitively to use his original first name, “Jaedong”. During his travels Jaedong noticed that Korean graffiti artists use anglophone signatures and rarely Hangeul, the Korean alphabet.This is also the case in Europe, however, European languages being of latin origins, this seems more “normal”. The graffiti movement has spread throughout the world, therefore it is not unusual for the artist to discover a homonym. However, the artist wishes to remain unique, this is a rule. With graffiti the name is more than a name, it is a brand! Moreover, it is the principal subject of the work.
Graffiti is primitive art, outsider art; the objective is to sign ones name more often than the others, and to be seen and noticed, as is the case with advertising which is posted everywhere. It is not a product that is being promoted, but the name of the artist. In this milieu the ego is omnipresent. Certain artists who started out protesting and making fun of consumerist society have ended up as products of their disproportioned egos.
“Sane” had been his name for a long time and it was difficult to put it aside. The egoism that prevailed in the graphic movement disgusted him as much as the advertising that it criticised.
The name “Sane” had already been used several times; he needed to find a new identity. After much research, finally, his Korean name seemed to be an obvious solution and he decided to sign with his original first name in hangeul. It pleases him also that only those who know Korean can read what he writes. This preserves anonymity and his art affirms itself in a more personal way.
Thus his life, as well as his art, reflects a return to his origins.
The surface
The backdrop, or surface for his work is as important as the art. As with a canvas, the surface enables the work to exist. This is even more the case with graffiti.
The urban landscape provides a rich and diversified choice of surfaces. Walls composed of different materials, aluminum shutters, various panels, wooden doors, window panes, trucks, trains, and also everything that people throw into the street…
Textures resulting from ageing, erosion, mold, lend another dimension to the work and natural colors emerge.
A burnt wall or a rusty door are perceived differently by the artist and a suitable surface is a marvelous gift.
The location
The location is an important criteria in an artistic undertaking. The name must be highlighted in the urban environment. The artist must visualise the work in its context before its conception. An emotion, a sensation, should emanate form the space, an atmosphere, an idea, or a simple not to tourist clichés.
Photography enables this temporary art to be preserved through images.
Jaedong is constantly searching for new places to explore, places that inspire him and that furnish new surfaces. The artist is submerged in a moving universe which evolves with the environment, with human beings, with time, and with life. He is on a constant quest for renewal. Similar to artists who practice urbex, Jaedong also explores abandoned places.
Lettering styles
Several styles of graffiti can be distinguished:
“tag brut” . in which the opening of the spray can is small, or chisel tip, or large (fat cap)
“throw up” style which features more rounded letters (bubble letters)
“wild style” which uses letters with elaborate serif typeface to which arrows and embellishments are added.
Jaedong prefers to keep his style simple and precise. Everyone should be able to read it. His work strives for light , dynamism, and motion.
In his “throw ups” the last letter is personified as a cartoon character who is humorous, at times speaking, making claims or demands.
He looks for dynamism and texture and strives to valorise the tag within the urban environment or in an interesting situation.
Drawing
Drawing is of prime importance in the graffiti approach , more so than technique with the spray can. The artist must constantly seek new letter compositions, and new movement, so that they for an aesthetic whole.
Lettering should be precise, neat, and adhere to strict typography rules. Graffiti is a means of bringing drawing and lettering together.