Cica Museum

solo exhibition

FIELD, Something scattered & Fragments

Solo Exhibition  / 2023. 05. 24 - 28

@ CICA Museum

CICA Museum Exhibition

2023.5.24.~28

Exhibition introduction

In my quest for innovation in art, I sought to depart from the traditional pictorial styles of printmaking and painting. I realized the necessity for a more foundational approach, one that transcended my previous works, by reducing visual elements to their core symbols. This led me to experiment with engraving as a means of expression. As I prepare for an upcoming exhibition, I am excited to curate a collection of my past works in a singular space.

1.

The Soil work <FIELD>, which started in 2017, originated from repentance toward the land. 

The land is a realm devoid of distinctions between wealth and poverty, power and status, good and evil, men and women, humans and animals; a place where all is laid bare. It is a sacred ground where life is both conceived and laid to rest, purifying itself in a continuous cycle, where the genesis and finale of life coexist. 

The amalgamated earth materials undergo a gradual transformation, developing intricate fissures on the canvas over time as they evolve into symbolic forms during the drying process. Comprising mixed media such as paint, binder, and charcoal powder, the materials require an extended period (1 to 2 years) to complete the artwork through a series of mixing, drying, and supplementation stages. The cracked surface can be discerned in the imagery. This creation strives for minimal reductionism, establishing a simple order system by manifesting a neutral surface marked by identity and repetition, revealing existence as material whole rather than fragmented parts. It embodies a pathos-like flatness, devoid of explicit meaning or metaphor.

2.   

In addition to the artwork, the material utilized is tree bark charred in a kiln. Charcoal remnants are dispersed like drifting symbols. The fractures spanning the entire backdrop are akin to the lines of an intrinsic language, and the haphazardly strewn remains are histories that coexisted in disparate eras and realms, briefly congregating before dispersing once more.

Reality and vacancy, sprouting entities and forsaken souls are indistinguishable. They do not fade. Life that has fulfilled its purpose and returned to the realm of death merely exists elsewhere in an alternate guise. Converging into the earth is the natural order, with soil serving as a testament to the passage of time through which the entropy of the cosmos flows.

3.

The third installment of the <Collecting things> series showcases a unique collection of charcoal fragments, serving as additional elements alongside the existing canvas pieces. Each charcoal piece represents a trace of an individual's life, a tangible reminder of their existence on this earth. <Collecting things> captures these fragments of life on canvas, symbolizing the essence of our existence. These fragments, remnants of various times and spaces, are dispersed once more. The precious lives we lead will eventually fade, disintegrate, and scatter. Thus, one should not disregard anything simply because it lies beneath our feet. These scattered fragments may have once been us in the past and will continue to be a part of us in the future. Since 2017, this ongoing series prompts a contemplative reflection, as I humbly acknowledge the ground beneath me and the scattered remnants.

2023. Kim, Young-soo Stella