隱喩 / Metaphor

I was born and grown up in Seoul as well as also lived and studied in New York for several years. If someone asked me about the specific character of the large cities such as Seoul and New York, I would answer that it would be the variety. Cultural trend of large cities presents the paradoxical aspects between richness and poverty, power and weakness, opportunity and loss, and beauty and ugliness. Every detail of the diversity and paradox are accepted as the unique fragment, which constitutes this whole city. What do I see in this particular world? I see all the phenomena and activities here as the subject of the human beings. When we walk the street or take the subway or bus in the cities, we encounter various kinds people of different levels: male and female, adult and child, the rich and the poor, the educated and the illiterate, the sick and the healthy, the happy and the unhappy, etc. The people can be seen as the parts of the large cities, representing a mixture of numerous cultures, vision, or lifestyle. However, the important thing is the fact that we are all precious part of the human race even though we are different from each other in appearance, educational or economic level, sense of value, or gender.

윤선이_Side view of Creation_나무 판넬에 못, 거울조각, 녹차_14×14inch×6_2003

윤선이_Side view of Creation_나무 판넬에 못, 거울조각, 녹차_14×14inch×6_2003_부분

The diverse factors concentrated in the modern cities coincide with the trend of contemporary art in the post-modern era. We are intrigued by the complexity, by the variety, by the contradictory pulls, and by the diverse impact of art today which are changeable in a short time. Claims to subjectivity by individuals are strong in contemporary art. This particular time in differences of epoch and social or cultural circumstance have caused people to see the works of art differently from those in the past. What do we need or pursue in the complex and confusing space of this particular moment in time, which is isolated from the past? I would like to propose that art should take the role and value in the reflection of the human spirit. Furthermore, I want to draw the healing and the retrieval of love with the God as well as between the human beings accompanying a successful fusion of visual languages into 'mirrors the soul'.

윤선이_Creatures_나무 판넬에 단추, 거울조각, 타일_14×14inch×6_2004_부분

윤선이_Creatures_나무 판넬에 단추, 거울조각, 타일_14×14inch×6_2004

The small objects, which come from industrial manufacturing, employed in my landscapes are everyday things such as nails, staples, pushpins, buttons, pieces of mirrors or ceramic tiles, etc. By emphasizing the materiality but not its objecthood, the works rely on these kinds of everyday commodities to reflect on or to convey messages about their pervasive impact on our lives. Yet the repeated use of ordinary objects depicted are intended to take a direction opposite to Pop art's concerns in the concept of transformation. These objects are placed within a painted surface as an element not only to accentuate the composition but also to produce a certain effect in landscapes. Among the small objects, the nails mainly used are directly involved with the image of crucifixion. The cross alludes us to have metaphors not only in paradoxical sentiments such as pain and love of Christ but also in those of the human beings. But I open the sphere of the role of nails in my works by prompting the viewer's imagination, primarily because the meaning and character of the objects can be too narrow if the nails are applied only to the theme of crucifixion The major idea for the forms of the cross is related to a Chinese character meaning "human being," which is shaped with two lines reclining on each other. The loving relation between male and female is a harmony of Yin and Yang. The shape of cross is presented as the element of the metaphoric image for the scene seeing from the sky: they can be a large load or another part of nature according to the viewer's imagination.

윤선이_Earth_캔버스에 못, 스테이플, 커피, 펄프, 아크릴 채색_31×26cm×2_2004

윤선이_Earth_캔버스에 못, 스테이플, 커피, 펄프, 아크릴 채색_31×26cm×2_2004_부분

윤선이_EarthⅡ_캔버스에 커피, 녹, 아크릴 채색_49×49inch_2003

The texture in the painting surface is partly inspired by the scene of archeological excavation. I am attracted to old things that have archeological aspects, such as ancient ceramics, wall paintings, and architecture. They add a certain mysterious mood, stimulating the audience's imagination and curiosity for a long passage of time. As to the painting surface, I like to use rice paper or its pulp, which provides an atmospheric impression registering liquid colors and cooperates with spatial organization at the same time. The aspect of time is very important in handling of the rice paper and paper pulp. Even though the revolution of modern technology powerfully impacts on contemporary art to open the new world, I also want to operate the tactile of the traditional materials such as rice paper and sumi ink which evoke some kinds of nostalgia for the past. ■ 윤선이

Vol.20041024b | 윤선이 개인展