ARTIST STATEMENT
The city is full of ironies. It gathers countless people to live together, yet often leaves them feeling isolated and lonely. This sense of solitude seems to be an unavoidable part of the human experience, especially in the context of urban life, where the imperfect nature of human existence confronts us continuously.
Even during the darkest hours of the night, the city’s countless lights shine brightly, illuminating empty streets and drifting through vacant spaces with an overwhelming presence. In my painting, the twinkling lights symbolise the artificial lighting of the city, subtly reminding us that the space within the canvas is a cityscape. The city’s appearance shifts under these intense artificial lights, creating an oddly unfamiliar and even alien atmosphere that accentuates the feeling of loneliness. Additionally, I frequently observe elements that seem alienated due to the artificial constructs of the urban environment. These objects, forced to adapt and survive within a synthetic space, acquire characteristics that set them apart from the genuine nature that thrives freely outside the city. For instance, trees twist and contort themselves to avoid neighbouring structures, and sometimes, they endure forced alterations, like regular pruning, imposed by the urban landscape. Such transformations imply that these living things are treated less as beings and more as mere components within the city grid. The struggles of urban plants for survival mirror the lives of people dwelling within this metropolitan labyrinth.
I see trees swaying under the powerful winds that sweep through forests of skyscrapers. Their odd, unfamiliar forms under the glaring artificial lights remind me of my place within this vast, complex city. Their strange appearance, shaped by the surrounding structures, echoes the disconnect many feel amidst the overwhelming presence of urban life, serving as a constant reminder of where, and in what kind of world, I live.
EDUCATION:
EDUCATION:
Sep 2021 – Sep 2023 MA in painting, Royal college of Art, London, United Kingdom
Mar 2014 – Feb 2017 Hansung Graduate School, Seoul, Republic of Korea
MA in Oriental Painting and True Colored Painting, Dept. of Painting
Mar 2010 – Feb 2014 Hansung University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
BA in Major in Eastern Art, Dept. of painting
SOLO EXHIBITIONS:
21 Sep – 02 Nov, 2023 “Solo exhibition”, NM Contemporary, Monaco
08 Jun – 13 Jun, 2021 “after day after” Cy art Document, Seoul, Republic of Korea
22 Feb – 28 Feb, 2019 “Our moment”, Seojin Art Space, Seoul, Republic of Korea
GROUP EXHIBITIONS:
20 Aug – 21 Sep, 2024 “All that Escapes from Us, dohing Art, Seoul, Republic of Korea
03 May – 25 May, 2024 “In the Emancipation of Self…”, D Contemporary, London, UK
19 Aug – 24 Sep, 2023 “Trioque”, The Shophouse, Tai Hang, Hong kong
25 Jan – 27 Jan, 2023 “Outlanders: Dreams of a New Moon”, King Street Gallery at Christie’s, London, UK
01 Dec – 11 Dec, 2022 “Wilderness of being”, Hdm Gallery(pop-up space), London, UK
17 Nov – 22 Dec, 2022 “Mua 無我”, Mandy Zhang Art, London, UK
21 Jun – 21 Aug, 2022 “Summer Exhibition”, Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK
01 Mar – 05 Mar, 2022 “RAW: RCA painting WIP show”, Soho Revue, London, UK
10 May – 23 May, 2019 “FREAK, SEOUL” ,Frottage Gallery, Seoul, Republic of Korea
19 Apr – 05 May, 2019 “Hip-A Seoul”, CICA Museum, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea
03 Apr – 27, Apr, 2017 “E-land Space New Sensation 2”, E-land Space, Seoul, Republic of Korea
28 Jan – 03 Feb, 2015 “A National University artist Exhibition”, Young Art Gallery, Seoul, Republic of Korea
17 Dec – 25 Dec, 2014 “歲畵(Sae-Hwa)”, Gallery Hanok, Seoul, Republic of Korea
26 Feb – 09 Mar, 2014 “Tell me the Weather is Cold” , Hanwon Museum of Art, Seoul, Republic of Korea
ART FAIRS:
30 Aug – 03 Sep, 2024 “The Preview Seongsu”
S Factory D, Seoul, Republic of Korea
24 Nov – 26 Nov, 2023 “Roma Arte in Nuvola”, La Nuvola, Rome, Italy
21 Jun – 21 Aug, 2022 “Summer Exhibition”
Royal Academy of Arts, London, UK
AWARDS:
Jul 2022 Winner of one of two British Institution Awards for Students, GBP 3000
Royal Academy of Arts, London, United of Kingdom