Hong Seung-hye Solo Exhibition 'Beyond the Foreshadow II' at International Gallery
Renowned for Grid Pattern Works, Changes Artistic Approach
From Liberation to Splendor... "Working Like a Child"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] "It feels like I have escaped from a square (grid) prison after 20 years. In fact, since it was a prison I brought upon myself, there was comfort within it. But this 'liberation' now makes me so happy."
Hong Seunghye (54), an artist who has expanded time and space through images created with computer graphic programs such as Paint and Photoshop, brought laughter to the audience by saying that while Andy Dufresne in the movie "The Shawshank Redemption" took 20 years to escape, it took her 25 years. Having completed her work, which had focused on grid-like pixels, into more three-dimensional and free forms, the artist kept smiling in front of her work as if savoring the feeling of liberation.
Exhibition view of Seunghye Hong's 'Beyond the Foreshadow II' currently held at Kukje Gallery. [Photo by Kukje Gallery]
The International Gallery in Jongno, Seoul is holding Hong Seunghye's solo exhibition "Over the Layers II" until March 19, marking her return with a new artistic world. The exhibition title is borrowed from the theme song "Over the Rainbow" of the 1939 film "The Wizard of Oz," directed by Victor Fleming.
For the artist, layers are both the most basic concept and a symbol of using Photoshop. The theme contains various meanings, including the multiple layers that make up a rainbow and the prologue of a journey chasing the bluebird flying beyond the rainbow.
Since her solo exhibition "Organic Geometry" at the International Gallery in 1997, Hong has shown interest in operating real spaces based on computer pixel construction. This exhibition is presented as a sequel to her 2004 exhibition "Over the Layers" also held at the International Gallery.
Starting computer-based work in 1997, Hong began with Paint, which is pre-installed on Windows, and then moved on to Photoshop. She has built her own pixel-based space by assuming visual principles and rules that penetrate the world. Her working method, which endlessly reviews her own work and stacks new layers using past works as material, is a continuous recollection. For such an artist, time is the richest material and asset.
Exhibition view of Seunghye Hong's 'Beyond the Foreshadow II' currently held at Kukje Gallery. [Photo by Kukje Gallery]
In this exhibition, the artist realized a free artistic world beyond the square grid. Moving away from pixels, expanding the basis of reduction and enlargement, and presenting various shapes, her concept depicts a rainbow world created by new layers in a cheerful atmosphere.
The new atmosphere can be fully felt from Gallery 1. The artist pays homage to the master Henri Matisse’s "papier d?coup?," who decorated walls by cutting and pasting colored paper in his later years, by presenting "Le citron d?coup?" (Lemon Cutting) and "Le ciel d?coup?" (Sky Cutting), which cut out corners of the wall. Although these works take the form of murals, their layered composition, where these works become the background for displaying other works on top, clearly shows the artist’s "sculptural pleasure" in dominating the space.
In the exhibition space where flat images with intense colors are three-dimensionalized, visitors can encounter the carved wall piece "Modern Times," star-based objects reflecting the artist’s interest in the sky and universe, and a self-portrait "Hongdangmu" named after the artist’s childhood nickname, all in one place.
Artist Seung-hye Hong standing against the artwork "When Spring Comes" exhibited at K3 Gallery of Kukje Gallery. [Photo by Kukje Gallery]
In Gallery 3, a narrative created by the artist’s accumulated sculptural experiences through the flat and three-dimensional works shown in Gallery 1 is unfolded. On a stage decorated with colorful flowers, three pairs of the artist’s pictogram dancers hold a ball. The videos seen between the works and the flowing sound were all produced by the artist herself. Explaining that the works look different when seen during the day and at night due to the light permeating the exhibition space, Hong said the gallery decided to extend the exhibition hours until 8 p.m. every Wednesday.
When a visitor said, upon encountering her new yet simplified style, "It feels like being in a daycare center. It feels like looking at works drawn by children," Hong responded, "That is a compliment," adding, "I wanted to create works like a child. That is exactly the reaction I wanted."
The artist’s smile, like a child’s, in front of the work "When Spring Comes" was fully imbued with the joy and happiness that liberation brings. "Just as classical music is not listened to because of a special storyline but simply because it pleases the ear, abstract art can just be seen and enjoyed. I hope viewers feel good just by looking at my works. I want them to find fun rather than meaning in my art."
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