March 2024 Overview
Artist Son Hyo-Jeong explores the hidden order of the universe. Physics is a reflection of the laws of nature, laws that influence our lives as well. Our ways of thinking are modelled on the blueprint of the functioning of the universe but is it possible that something outside of this blueprint exists?
Based on this, he creates new structures and forms that transcend the laws of nature. The canvas as a kind of box, a space where there is no gravity and the sense of reality is erased.
PKM Gallery is hosting "Ariadne’s Thread" by artist Shin Min Joo from March 6th to April 13th. The exhibition explores the fundamental act of brushstrokes in 19 new works that weave the mysterious narratives of Greek and Roman mythologies. The title is a reference to an episode of Greek and Roman mythology which revolves around Ariadne, the princess of the Kingdom of Crete, who desperately entrusts a thread to Theseus, the prince of Athens. Theseus ventures into the labyrinth to confront the Minotaur, a monstrous creature that devours the human sacrifices offered by the kingdom. The narrative of Theseus finding the way out from the dark depths following the red thread resonates with Shin’s own journey. She views artistic tools - brush, squeegee, paint, and canvas - as the threads that guide her through the labyrinth of life and artistic practice. Just as Ariadne’s thread served as a lifeline for Theseus, Shin considers ‘painting’ to be a steadfast tool of protection without losing her sense of self.
Bori Yoon's "Flowers of heaven" displays the artist's unique method of working - once the topic of the art piece is decided, articles related to the subject are scraped from newspapers and magazines. The strips of shredded paper, strips of dismantled meaning, are neatly placed on the screen according to the pre-prepared drawings to become a new landscape or still life.
Hyunjin Lee's series "Hidden World" was created by combining new images discovered during his travels and reconstructing them into "my own space". Small cars, trains, and toys float in the newly composed landscape, which expresses the reality of modern people who are in a state of instability because they cannot settle down somewhere specific. "My own space" becomes also a metaphor for the need for and purpose of escapism into inner reveries. Through the mist rising from the depths of the forest, the viewer is given an opportunity to look into their own hidden world and take care of it. Ultimately, the "Hidden world" is a space at the intersection of ideal and reality.
Kim Yong-Ik's "Utopia" refers tot he dream of the modernist project. According to the artist "Utopia was the dream of a modernist project. The dream that human reason, awakened by the Enlightenment, will discover new facts by exploring nature, human beings, and the world, and that the development and progress of science and technology will lead humanity to utopia. Some of the modernist projects were realized, but the sweet fruits they provided did not go evenly to all of humanity, and the disastrous consequences were disparities between individuals and between nations and between nations, imperialism, carnivalist capitalism, and the degradation of nature. We are now witnessing this dark shadow. The constant wars, terrorism and the climate crisis illustrate the failure of modernist projects. ... " Ultimately, the artist questions the role of art in this process.
Amid the failures of modernity, Kim Yong-Ik turns his attention to Eastern thought and philosophy in search of alternatives. The geometric figures drawn are borrowed from the concept of Tianyuan Province (天圓地方), which is the basis of traditional Chinese cosmology. Kim Yong-ik's reference to Eastern philosophies and theories can be seen as an effort to reflect on modern life and civilization and to ensure that art exists and survives in a form befitting it.
"Three Beings, Forest" by See Ji-Ui explores the relationship between people and nature in the West and the East. While the West sees nature as something people can conquer and overcome, the East sees nature as equal to the human. In other words, according to Eastern thought, human beings seek to conform to the fundamental principles contained in the flow of creation and change of nature, and the laws of human life are already seen as existing in nature.
Jio Kim's "Plastic surgery on Human Senses" explores the "new human" which combines the natural human with technological add-ons. According to the artist, the introduction of biomedical engineering, human augmentation and brain chips is just a matter of time. Such "upgrades" will have the effect of enhancing our sensory abilities and enabling us to feel more strongly and more diverse stimuli. The show features media art, video installations and paintings and invites the viewers to reflect on these topics. To what extent can we expect to co-exist with AI seemlessly and when will that co-existence reach its limits?
Kim Hyunjung's "The Visage of Water" seeks to explore the ambiguity of life and the complex projection relationship between nature and human beings. The act of reflecting on the properties of water has a therapeutic meaning for the artist. The layered relief forms of color bring abstract depth to the work. The symmetrical structures that are repeatedly revealed in the work are the psychological structures of nature and the inner world created by unsettling hallucinations, compulsions, and incomplete lives about the completeness of life and reality.
ALL march 2024 Shows
