Would you please introduce yourself?

My name is Lee Kyutae, and I live in South Korea. I enjoy observing and understanding objects and spaces, as well as expressing them in my own way. I was fortunate to be invited to collaborate on a project with Hermès, and it turned out to be a surprisingly joyful experience.

What does drawing mean to you? 

I have loved drawing since I was a child. I studied animation in university, and since then, drawing has been part of my daily life. To me, drawing is not just a skill; it is a way of organizing my thoughts and looking inward. Through drawing, I feel I can better understand both the world and myself.

One of my earliest memories of drawing is copying comic books. I was fascinated by the act of placing a line exactly where I imagined it; finding the right angle and length felt like solving a beautiful puzzle piece by piece. From then on, I started to realize that lines weren’t just the building blocks of shapes—they could also carry movement, emotion, and intention.

One of the most meaningful works for me recently was the animation I created during a collaboration with Hermès. I drew just one frame each day. Unlike the usual approach—animating with a clear intention and working quickly toward the final result—this project revealed its direction gradually. Watching the frames accumulate and come to life over time birthed in me movements and ideas I hadn’t planned. It was a process full of quiet discoveries—from the first frame to the last, the drawings seemed to guide me, not the other way around.

Tell us about the drawing you made specifically for Lanterne Hermès. 

When I first saw the Ginza Maison Hermès building in a photo, I found it to be beautiful just as it was. To prepare for the drawing, I first spent some time observing the architecture closely—every corner, every glass block—then began slowly translating those impressions into a drawing, using paper and a blue ballpoint pen. The subtle lights inside the building shine through the glass like lanterns, softly illuminating the city outside. What fascinated me most was how the glass blocks gently refract the shape of what’s on the other side, whether you’re inside or outside, creating a quiet yet mesmerizing distortion. That gentle play of light and form became the heart of my drawing.

What is Ginza Maison Hermès to you? Do you have any stories about visiting Japan or Ginza?

I haven’t had the chance to visit Ginza Maison Hermès yet, but if I get to go back to Japan, I’d love to see this stunning building in person, rather than just through photos. I believe there is beauty in the very act of caring for and preserving beauty itself.