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Greeting 2023 “The Year of the Hare” Special Exhibition

<White Rainbow>

12 January - 18 Feburary, 2023

- Kang Min-SooㆍKim Chan-IlㆍChae Sung-PilㆍChoi Young-WookㆍHuh Myoung-Wook -

A child in an art class is sitting still, nervously staring into his sketchbook. Time is ticking away, but the sketchbook stays untouched, for the boy is quite at a loss of what to draw. Finally, the art teacher draws near the boy. Looking at his blank paper, the teacher exclaims, “My, the white snow has covered the entire world! How magnificent!” Then, with a gentle pat on the boy’s shoulder, she walks away. A sheepish smile of relief and gratitude slowly spreads on the child’s face. 

White is not the state of “zero.” It means an infinite possibility, for it is already bearing all the colors of the world. The same is true for the act of creating an artwork. Just as “taking steps to plant a white flower in snowy field”, an artwork is completed through putting down layers of feelings and sentiments. Only when a puzzle of numerous colors beyond the white background is solved, can one truly understand the piece. The title of the exhibition “White Rainbow” was born from such notion. As you welcome the works of various artists and embrace them with an open heart - just as facing a white sketchbook - you may be able to gain a new inspiration as well. 

In the spirit of greeting the new year, Art Chosun Space, HORI Artspace, and AIF Art Management has collaborated a special exhibition 《White Rainbow》 with 5 invited artists - Kang Min-Soo, Kim Chan-Il, Chae Sung-Pil, Choi Young-Wook, and Huh Myoung-Wook. In all three places, you will be able to find “the kind of beauty that can come through when the traditional and the contemporary, roughness and softness, structural and planar, and light and shadow are juxtaposed”. We look forward to seeing the five different characters release each of their own taste and aesthetic discourse in rich sensitivity, just as “a white cloud that conceals a rainbow”. 

Among the invited artists, Kang Min-Soo (1972-) is well renowned as the “Moon Jar artist who combines the traditional and modern visual beauty”. Insisting on using the firewood kiln that demands time-consuming labor, Kang has produced Moon Jars that possess simplicity and moderation for over 20 years. From a piece that has the width and height of about 40cm to an enormous one with the height over 65cm, Kang Min-Soo’s Moon Jars radiate the charm of “emptying and filling, and the philosophy of Matter is Void (色卽是空)”. 

Kim Chan-Il (1961-) has been gaining attention with his works that demonstrate “abundant possibilities of fine art painting done with fragmental objects.” They are especially created by the act of untiringly coating layer over layer of his own handmade paint. The thus generated wave and energy by the fragments on canvas, and the birth of tactile screen by light and shadow depending on the viewing angle are the striking originality of “Kim Chan-Il-style Grid Painting”. 

Chae Sung-Pil (1972-) makes paintings with natural pigments based on soil. By painting layers of silvery powder made with finely-ground pearl for the background, the artist achieves a unique gloss. They are the new interpretations of soil’s essential nature, the successful fusion of Oriental painting’s traditional technique with Western painting’s visual method. He found his motif from the interesting fact that the Western “4 Elements Theory” and the Eastern “Ohengsul (meaning `5 Elements Theory’)” both include “soil”. 

Choi Young-Wook (1964-) paints the theme of “Karma” using Moon Jar as his motif. Just as a relationship cannot take place without the encounter of two different beings, a Moon Jar that is traditionally produced by connecting the top and the bottom halves’ moldings can be regarded as the result of a match in a whole different level. Although seemingly just a Moon Jar, you will find landscapes faintly painted if you take a closer look at its surface. In other words, the Moon Jar encloses a microcosmos. 

Although mainly known as a “lacquer artist”, Huh Myoung-Wook (1966-) is actually an all-round artist who handles all genres of art. Through Huh’s paintings, 3-dimensionals, installations, crafts, furniture, and objects, the modern expandability of lacquer is confirmed. The course of his labor-intensive production itself is “the art of assiduity that demands time”. 

The splendid artworks of these five invited artists will be displayed in three different locations; At Art Chosun Space in Sejong-daero of Gwanghwamun, the works are installed to be appreciated both from the inside and outside of the building on account of its high ceilings and tall display windows. At HORI Artspace and AIF Lounge in Cheongdam-dong, 2-dimensional artworks (by Kim Chan-Il, Chae Sung-Pil, Choi Young-Wook) and 3-dimensional works (Kang Min-Soo, Huh Myoung-Wook) are uniquely staged giving off the impression of a certain “wall design of a home”. In particular, the identical subject matter of Moon Jar by two different artists will be displayed to show how they can transmit different sentiments according to the creator’s characteristic and the expression technique. 

In addition, the "rhythm of tension and ease" developed from the encounter among various non-figurative works in different locations of galleries will be an amusing element to the viewers. 

* Hosted by ART CHOSUN, TV CHOSUN, HORI Artspace  

* Directed by Art Chosun Space, AIF Art Management

* Sponsored by ONE MEDICS INDUSTRY