12 Nov Tone check. The skins of contemporary korean painting
Source Credit: Content and images from Wall Street International Magazine by . Read the original article - https://www.meer.com/en/85046-tone-check-the-skins-of-contemporary-korean-painting
Eli Klein Gallery is thrilled to present Tone check: the skins of
contemporary korean painting, a group exhibition of 9 Korean artists probing through the
psychological, emotional, and social uncertainties that are often unseen on just the surface. As skin
works as a protective, discerning barrier for what is within, the artists have worked to open up that
barrier to communicate and be vulnerable with the audience. This exhibition showcases 17 flat works,
revealing the true colors of and under the skins corresponding to each painting, literally and
metaphorically.
Since the Dansaekhwa movement, Korean paintings have
had a strong historical connection with the concept of
“skins”. This notion has further developed in recent years,
as what was initially perceived as a resemblance has now
progressed into a more complex relationship. More artists
are starting to resolve various conflicts—technical,
psychological, social, and emotional—through flat,
skin-esque surfaces. A canvas could now become a
playground where complicated emotions and mixed
feelings coexist and cohabit, much like the ever-changing
definition of Chaemyeon (체면, directly translated as
“face”, is how someone is perceived in society). The
interchanging faces in this exhibition are made up of very
distinct and personal mediums ranging from soil collected
from traditional Korean houses to tattoo ink embedded in
silicone to timeless painting mediums like acrylic and oil. This medley of earthly hues, intentional textures,
and purposeful strokes opens up an inquisitive space where the audience is asked to assess the manner
of what the skins of contemporary Korean paintings carry.
With her photographic digital lens exploring the physical body, Kai
Oh’s collage-like abstract paintings delve into personal
interpretations of the eyes, often finding symbolism and parallels
between the concept of vitality and its biological functions.
Similarly focusing on the shell of our existence, Yissho Oh, whose
work is often blurred between being a painter and a tattoo artist,
operates on silicone through intricate techniques to deepen his
interests not only in the mental and emotional expressions through
the physical body but also the material structure of the body itself.
Claire Chey, who has till now persistently focused on themes of
women being consumed by societal standards through explicit
yonic representation, dives into another sector for this exhibition
where she explores a mystic playground where sex-driven ghosts
thrive in the realm of
sleep—playing with ideas of shame, trauma, and ecstaticism.
On a similar note of exploring an intangible realm to dive
deeper into the human psyche, Judy Chung is a creator of
digitally and physically merged worlds that are abundant with
pop culture references and imaginative characters. She
transports herself into a world of multiplicities where conjoined
twins exist, comparing them to the idea of truth and falsehood.
Following the narrative of twins and doubles, Youngmin Park,
who is used to questioning the reliability of personal
narratives, also emphasizes a phenomenon that happens in
spiritual faith, where repetition is necessary for doubt to wash
away.
While embodying the painting process through a daily bodily exercise consisting of meditative strokes
and actively listening to the sounds of the materials when painting, Jazoo Yang tells us stories of
forgotten communities through remnants left by neglected houses in Korea as well as other forgotten
parts of Korea while questioning society for the decision for destruction. Jenny Jisun Kim, who outside of
being an artist works as Korean-English translator, also takes on the role of becoming a folk storyteller
of an ancient design found on a mural tomb from the late Guguryeo period of Korea as well as a visual
translator for Yi Sang, a revolutionary poet who lived through the Japanese occupation of Korea. Her
practice calls for the inability of both translation and painting to fully penetrate meanings.
Internally driven and inspired, Ahyun Jeon gets up close and personal with the human body often to the
point of abstraction and hones in on evidence left by unconscious defense mechanisms and moments of
vulnerability. Jean Oh has a similar approach in
drawing herself closer to the physical body, at times
embedding herself deeper into the canvas by sewing
into it, and blending in concepts of fragmented
memories, emotions, and interpersonal relationships;
ultimately showing the fragility of identity.
Curated by Phil Zheng Cai at Eli Klein Gallery, this
exhibition is made to create a fair outlet for the nine
artist’s physical manifestations of the different
“skins” that are screaming at the forefront of their
rumination. As the gallery’s atmosphere is filled with
flavors of cultural interrogations, societal prejudices, emotional mindfulness, and spiritual uncertainties;
we are asked to take off our own husks(if comfortable) and meet the artists flesh to flesh.
Source Credit: Content and images from Wall Street International Magazine by . Read the original article - https://www.meer.com/en/85046-tone-check-the-skins-of-contemporary-korean-painting