From 11 March to 18 of April, the Opera Gallery presents “Korean Art: Cultivating the Unexpected,” an exhibition combining the transformative works of five Korean artists spanning subject and medium. Figures composed from twisted coils of bike chains crouch next to incredible floral displays fashioned from hanji paper as this exhibit showcases five unique approaches to themes of nature, culture and society, all stemming from a similar cultural background.
The five artists featured in the exhibit are Cho Sung-Hee, Chun Kwang-Young, Seo Young-Deok, Yoo Bong-Sang and Jae Ko.
Born in Jeon-ju, South Korea in 1949, Cho Sung-Hee grew up drawing on the walls of her childhood home and spending time with her father in the garden. Now, Cho cuts hanji, also known as asian mulberry paper, into thousands of small petals and collages them onto canvas with vibrantly pigmented oils. Her intricate and textured creations are an homage to the happy memories of her childhood.
As a child, Chun Kwang-Young’s mother used to take him to a doctor practicing traditional Chinese medicine with packages of medicine dangling from the ceiling wrapped in hanji mulberry paper packages and cards with written descriptions. For Chun, these medicine packages are small units representing the cumulation of human knowledge. Chun uses the hanji from the medicine packages to construct large, outrageous assemblages that burst with the colour and chaos of his abstract expressionist background.
Seo Young-Deok, the youngest of the artists, graduated from the environmental sculpture department of the University of Seoul in 2008. Since then, he has become known for his hyper-realistic sculptures of the human body made from chains.
The chains in Seo’s work represent fetters. In his mind, human lives are interlocked and bound like the cogs of a machine, unable to escape and forced into a lifestyle of consumption. Seo explained that his work is meant to signify how personal thoughts and lives are ignored.
“We are shutting our eyes, ears, and mouth and suppressing our feelings. We are doing this convinced that there is no place where we can express our feelings and take comfort.” Seo Young-Deok said. “To those who are enduring in silence… I hope my works can console you, even if a small amount.”
Fascinated by sunlight and shadows in nature, Yoo Bong-Sang uses metal nails to animate his photography. After capturing images with a sense of movement, Yoo matches the depth of shades with the density of the nails. The combined effect of the layered nails creates pieces brimming with life.
Jae Ko began to experiment with paper and water in the ocean in the 90s. By rolling and submerging pieces of paper in water, Jae manipulates paper into complex sculptures of spiraling shapes and ribbons. Jae’s paper sculptures reflect the organic shapes of nature with recycled office paper.
