KINDRED LIGHTS

Artist Statement

Innate Color and the World of the Unconscious: An Inquiry into Being and Harmony Creation goes beyond a mere act of expression and becomes a process of recording one's thoughts and feelings. The act of leaving daily touches on the canvas, like a diary, accumulates the artist's philosophy and aesthetic inquiry; work that transforms over time functions as a vital force shaping life itself. The starting point of these records was my time studying abroad in Japan. Experience in another cultural sphere is closely linked to the process of establishing self-identity. Among people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, rather than assimilating I came to hold all the more firmly to my own color, and that attitude was reflected directly in the work. The pursuit of preserving one's own color affected my pictorial method as well. Rejecting the traditional techniques of oil painting and using no oil at all, I built up paint in its native color thickly upon the canvas, emphasizing the very being-ness of color itself. On the surface it looks as though many colors are mingled, but viewed in detail, each color exists in its native form and harmonizes with the others. This can be understood as a way of probing the boundary, in ontological terms, between individuality and relationality. The working process operates by a similar principle. Composing the surface according to the unconscious, without sketching, does not aim to deliver a planned narrative; rather, the work allows narratives within the unconscious to emerge. While this may appear instinctive and improvisational, it ultimately becomes a process of interpreting and visually shaping inner currents. The beings within the surface are divided into those that appear directly and those expressed metaphorically; indirect expression is bound up with the will to protect the strange yet beloved moments discovered within. That these beings appear not as humans but as animals reflects an attitude of preserving purity and the individuality of beings as creatures of instinct. After returning to Korea, the experience of personal loss brought changes to my way of working. Work made at Seolmijae Art Museum moved further toward dissolving the relationship between color and form. Beings that had been comparatively distinct began to hide more deeply within fierce color and rough brushstrokes, through new thoughts, new directions, and material experiments — leading the viewer to discover narrative only by actively exploring the surface. This goes beyond simple visual inquiry; it can be seen as an attempt to reconsider presence and absence. In 2025, work begun after moving to Yangpyeong has entered another phase. This is not merely a spatial change but can be understood as a process by which unconscious beings re-engage in relationships with the world. Ultimately, the question of whether one's innate color and being can sustain their essence even while entering into relationships with others will continue to be explored through the work. As the boundaries of color and being, of harmony and individuality, are expanded, I hope to share new visual experiences with viewers.