Until October 8, Artspace Hoseo Gallery
The Essence of Identity Highlighted by Flexibility and Cheerful Expressiveness
The continuously expanding 'Drops Story' by artist O Tae-won returns to audiences in the form of a festival. 'Drops,' the crystallization of an identity that has evolved with the artist until now, ventures into new time and space while recording an existence characterized by flexibility that responds to situations and a cheerful expressiveness.
O Tae-won’s solo exhibition 'DROPS X FESTA' is being held at Art Space HOSEO in Seocho-dong, Seoul, until October 8. [Photo by Art Space HOSEO]
Art Space HOSEO in Seocho-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul announced on the 19th that it will hold O Tae-won's solo exhibition 'DROPS× FESTA' from the 21st until October 8th.
In this exhibition, the artist expresses the 'Drops World,' where imagination and expression are augmented in reality, through works employing a full range of genres including lenticular, digital printing, three-dimensional installations, media art, and video. As both the artist and the show’s planner, O Tae-won’s 'Drops × Festa' highlights the narrative of Drops and the artistic expansiveness achieved by the artist, captivating audiences with a complex performance where countless emotions intersect.
Critic Lee Joo-hee wrote in the exhibition preface, "Just as circuses, carnivals, and festivals have been, events devised by humans are crystallizations that embody the consciousness and sensibilities of various eras," adding, "Festa is also an event selected by O Tae-won from the irregular human affairs, advocating a comprehensive genre of art infused with the artist’s unique cheerfulness and vitality."
'Drops' is not merely a sculptural structure but a form approachable on a spiritual level, an entity that adds transcendent temporality to a static existence, layering the stories of the world. The artist presents Drops appearing within fantasy spaces or as distorted forms where three-dimensional installations and media art media overlap, intersecting flexible philosophical thoughts and situations through various Drops series that range from personal emotions to social sentiments.
Critic Kim Sung-ho analyzed, "O Tae-won’s Drops touches on the concept of personification of matter embodied in the droplet shape, as well as the aesthetics of object existence. Alongside the thick metaphorical emotion that Drops carries, there is also a meaning as a reality," explaining, "Beneath the consistent texture of the artist’s work lies a deep narrative that sometimes activates a shining celestial world, sometimes the natural world, and sometimes the psychological inner world, inviting the audience into a mysterious and intimate narrative."
The artist implements the 'Drops' story using multiple media, including various flat works, sculptural works, video, media art, outdoor installations, and large-scale installations. The droplet-shaped 'Drops,' which originated around 2010, has gradually been refined to become the artist’s signature form.
O Tae-won participated in the Salon des Ind?pendants (Espace Eiffel Blanqui) exhibition in 1999 and held his first solo exhibition at Gallery Ecole Buissonni?re in Paris, France, in 2005. Since then, he has held 21 solo exhibitions and participated in over 250 group exhibitions.
The artist graduated from the Department of Plastic Arts at Paris 8 University in 2000 and later earned a master's degree from the same department. He also obtained a master's degree in Western Painting from Seoul National University Graduate School and a doctorate in Design and Craft (Visual Design major) from Hongik University Graduate School. Having studied in Paris for 12 years, he has been a professor at Honam University since 2018, expanding his artistic world through active creation of media art, installation art, sculpture, and 3D design works while nurturing future talents.
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