An Exploration of New Work (3) 'Ilpilsauido - Scratched Landscape' by artist Ki Chang HAN
2017-09-25 l Hit 1140
An Exploration of New Work
(3) 'Ilpilsauido - Scratched Landscape' by artist Ki Chang HAN
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Ki Chang HAN is an artist who has reinterpreted oriental painting using X-ray film and staples to convey a message of healing through his work. In this month's newsletter, we introduce artist Ki Chang HAN's new work, which was recently exhibited in his solo exhibition "Ilpilsauido - Scratched Landscape (August 16 - September 10, 2017)" at the Gallery MEME.
In fact, in order to understand the artist's oeuvres, we must first understand the pain that he has suffered. In 1992, when he was preparing to study in the United States, he was driving over a snow-covered road and had a severe traffic accident. It resulted in the death of the other driver and the artist spending over a year in the intensive care unit, having to undergo more than seven major operations. This incident totally changed his life, and after the accident, materials such as X-rays and staples appeared in his work. Therefore, his work begins with a very personal trauma and contains the process of healing his wounds and suffering. Artist Ki Chang HAN reveals the following in his artist statement:
 A view of artist Ki Chang HAN's solo exhibition recently held at the Gallery MEME. |
"The stories of my work are not based on any existing aesthetic theories, nor any universal or systematic ideologies.
They are stories based on my empirical experiences, my thoughts, and me as a subject.
They are heterogeneous and strange, but contain a metaphor for finding homogeneity in all of us.
In modern society, our lives are constantly connected to events and accidents related to death, which create anxiety and depression. In particular, the injuries left by them are embedded in us as uneasiness and fear towards death, and are internalized. Therefore, when we are confronted with physical diseases and mental disabilities, internal conflicts become amplified.
My attitude towards life and the self-awareness that I have became the starting points for the question about the meaning of life that arose from my trauma. Starting with my existence, I wanted to illustrate the irrationality, tragedy, hurt, and pain of human beings, buried in the trauma created by our family, surroundings, daily life, and society, exploring the possibility of healing and recovery through art."
'Ilpilsauido - Scratched Landscape,' introduced this time, also starts from the artist's trauma. If you remember Ki Chang HAN's work as collages of colorful X-ray film, his new work, made with staples, will be a surprise. The artist explained that the X-ray film pieces were about the desperate desire for life at the boundary of life and death, and the staple pieces are more closer to the healing of the wounds.
"Prior to the accident, staples were used to frame canvases in the studio. I was very surprised to see that staples were stuck in my body after the surgery. But, afterwards, I thought that staples could be used in my work as a material that symbolizes the healing of wounds," he continued.
This is not the first time staples have appeared in his work. The artist used staples about five years ago, and they were used conceptually. For his new work, staples were used as a medium of painting. He stapled around a hundred times for the previous work, and, for the new work, he stapled about fifteen hundred times. The artist said that he decided to be physically involved in the work process, and, as a result, he is still wearing braces to support his body.
 Detail image of Ilpilsauido: staples were attached closely together on the canvas. |
The artist said that just like artist Kiki Smith, who tells her stories through her own artistic language, he is concentrating on creating his inner stories with his artistic methods. The title of the work: 'Ilpilsauido', is a word that often appears in the artist's past work. 'Ilpil' means a stroke, which is considered important in Oriental painting, and also means one's first intention. 'Saui' refers to the attitude and values of an artist toward his or her artwork in Oriental art. In other words, the work deals with the artist's original intention and attitude towards his work.
The scenery of his new work depicts the surroundings of his studio, located in Gapyeong.
"I want to transform places into unfamiliar territory in my work, even though the places exist in real life, just like what artist Gyeomjae did to Pakyon Waterfall and the Geumgang Mountains. I am putting my inner stories, important stories around my surroundings, and the stories of our era here and there in my work, just like creating a pictorial puzzle," he further explained.
Although his recent exhibition just ended, the artist is already thinking about his next work. Artist Ki Chang HAN added that he wants to create larger work in the future, since he submitted small work to his recent exhibition, where exhibition space was limited.
Korean Artist Project Team
2017. 10. 11. ⓒKorean Artist Project
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