[Gallery Walk] Mom Born from Thousands of Heart Scratches

'Life Salm' Solo Exhibition by Artist Munsung-sik
Developing 'Oil Drawing' Technique
Expressed by Scratching with Pencil
"Raw as It Is... Resembling My Personality"
Reinterpreting Masters Park Soo-geun and Lee Jung-seop
"Referencing Various Artists but the Answer Is Me"

Munsung-sik's 'Mom, Mom, Mom' (2022).

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] "My mother, who was sometimes lovable but sometimes frustrating and endlessly pitiful, has lived her whole life farming. I wanted to express my feelings toward her."

Artist Moon Seongsik (41), who calmly explained his artistic world while walking through the exhibition hall, was at a loss for words in front of his work "Mom, Mom, Mom" (2022). It was a self-portrait of his mother. After gathering his thoughts, he shared the story behind the painting. He said he picked up a pencil because a quarrel during a rare family meal on his mother’s 70th birthday lingered in his heart. The delicately rendered hair and facial wrinkles, touched by his hand thousands of times, conveyed both the artist’s remorse and love for his mother.

Moon, originally from Gimcheon, Gyeongbuk, studied at the Korea National University of Arts. He gained attention in the art world as the youngest artist to participate in the Korean Pavilion at the 2005 Venice Biennale. Famous celebrities such as actress Go So-young have sought out his works. Last year, at the request of BTS’s RM, he painted the album cover for RM’s self-composed song "Bicycle," commemorating RM’s 8th debut anniversary.

Artist Moon Seongsik is posing in front of his work "Just Life" (2021~2022). (Photo by Kukje Gallery)

Recently, Moon held his solo exhibition "Life 삶" at the International Gallery Busan branch, running until February 28. This is his third solo exhibition at the International Gallery, following shows in 2011 and 2019. Over 100 works depicting scenes from his daily life and surrounding flora and fauna were displayed. New works from his large-scale rose series "Just Life," which he has been developing since 2019, were also unveiled. Additionally, about ten pieces from the series "Just an Ordinary Landscape: The Face of the Land," shown at last year’s Jeonnam Ink Biennale, were exhibited.

Moon developed a unique painting language through a technique he calls "oil painting drawing." He applies a kind of paper pulp called "fever paste," gesso, and oil paint onto the canvas, then scratches the surface with a pencil. He prefers scratching because it is a raw, unadorned act. As seen in ancient cave paintings, humanity’s original drawing act was scratching. The crucial element in scratching is not the brush or paint but the artist himself. Moon said, "Through scratching, I wanted to express originality," adding, "I chose pencil because it is the most basic painting tool and resembles my straightforward personality."

Munsung-sik's Garden and Family (2021).

The canvas soaked with oil paint represents the very stage of existence for him. When he breaks through the resistance of semi-gelatinous oil paint and swings his pencil stroke by stroke, every trace is faithfully recorded. These records accumulate to complete a painting. This resembles how we live: in an uncertain life like a blank white canvas, we break through the cycle of chance and inevitability and continue making our own choices. Moon said, "The unique texture of oil paint fixes all the alibis I have wielded," and "When I look at the finished painting, sometimes I feel like I was really there in front of this canvas."

Munsung-sik's 'The Garden and Me' (2021).

When monochrome pencil drawings become dull, Moon sometimes overlays acrylic gouache to express richer colors. The largest piece in this exhibition, "Just Life" (2021?2022), measuring 117 cm in height and 364 cm in width, was inspired by a rose he found at a famous restaurant in Haeundae where he lives. The background is a turquoise sea reflecting the sky, delicately depicting white roses, butterflies, and spider webs. In "Garden and Me" (2021), which captures the artist watering his garden with a hose, he used more vibrant colors to vividly portray various flowers.

Munsung-sik's 'Winter Tree' (2021).

His work "Winter Tree" (2021) evokes the old trees frequently depicted by the national painter Park Soo-keun (1914?1965). The bare branches and the texture resembling the mud walls of a thatched house create a similar impression. Moon reinterpreted the painting languages of modern art masters?from late Joseon Dynasty painter Gyeomjae Jeong Seon (1676?1759) to Park Soo-keun and Lee Jung-seop (1916?1956)?in his own rhythm. Moon explained, "I wonder how to chemically blend Park Soo-keun’s craft-like yet humble style with Lee Jung-seop’s unrefined yet dynamic feeling to create lines that resemble me now. Although I reference many artists, the answer ultimately lies within myself, and the result is revealed through my strokes."

When someone asks Moon what kind of artist he is, he answers, "I just paint the world." His humble dream is to live as a painter full of curiosity about the world, who neither refrains from painting nor is unable to paint anything. "Now, I try to paint without judgment. I don’t intend to paint works that are overly deliberate or strained. I believe that the more I paint, the more good paintings I will create."