Contemporary Artist Ugo Rondinone Solo Exhibition ‘nuns and monks by the sea’
International Gallery, Until May 15
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] Japanese thinker Fujita Shozo, who analyzed the essential problem of modern society as the loss of experience caused by the eradication of conflict, defined the direction to overcome this as ‘a living, moving sense of balance and relationships of mutual interest.’ The visual world of Ugo Rondinone, centered on themes of the sun, landscapes, and still life, immediately draws the audience into a strange reality. Between two or more works, there is a taut sense of balance, along with a subtle direction that allows viewers to feel the works with their hearts as much as they understand them intellectually.
Seoul Samcheong-dong International Gallery is hosting a solo exhibition of Swiss contemporary artist Ugo Rondinone titled ‘nuns and monks by the sea’ until May 15. In this exhibition, the artist prominently presents a large-scale bronze sculpture series ‘nuns + monks,’ realizing an expansion of the visual spectrum.
The five sculptures each embody the mystery and solemnity of saints. These sculptures both capture the space and breathe life into it. The humanoid sculptures with small heads of different colors placed on a single massive stone welcome the visit of strangers in an open state rather than oppressing the audience with idolatrous symbolism.
Originally, the artist created small limestone models as studies, which were then scanned and enlarged to be reborn as bronze cast sculptures. The gigantic sculptures maintain a delicate balance between fine texture and monumental scale, and through the sense of balance among these works, the artist offers a blissful state of selflessness.
Having crossed the boundaries of academia and media for nearly 40 years, the artist expresses inspiration drawn from everyday problems and themes that evoke poetic dimensions through isolation, amplification, and sometimes specific material treatments in his own way.
Among the countless themes underlying his work?human and nature, figurative and abstract, day and night, space and time?there is a deeply cast emotion of sublimity and transience. In his highly calculated installation, the artist captures an attitude toward modern life while creating an unforgettable tense atmosphere.
In this exhibition, Ugo Rondinone explores the potential of stone, a material he has been devoted to for over a decade, in various ways. The artist states, “I focused on the inherent beauty and energy of stone, its structural characteristics, surface texture, and its ability to gather and condense time.” For this exhibition, the artist applied cement throughout the gallery space so that the floor and walls appear as a single concrete entity.
The groundwork of comprehensively remodeling the surface of the space is a technique he frequently employs. By eliminating the boundary between floor and walls, he redefines the horizon while metaphorically expressing the quiet transformative state inherent in stone. Through the constantly evolving space, the artist shows the state of something ‘becoming,’ and the energy emitted by the sculptures leads both viewers and the works themselves to a stage of emergence.
The artist projects his contemplation on the relationship between the sense of balance he feels and mutual interest into his intense visual works. He explains about this work, “I create sculptures about what seeing feels like, what it means, and whether it is a physical phenomenon or a metaphysical one.” The exhibition is a profound reflection on everything he calls the ‘living universe’ and an original record of nature.
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