A legacy-driven media platform documenting Korean excellence in culture, economy, and identity
Curated by Su-Jeong Koh
Photo by New York Tenri Gallery
In a city rich with culture and art, abundant opportunities to enjoy galleries are often out of reach, hindered by traffic, weather, busy schedules, and other reasons. The chilly winter months particularly exacerbate these challenges. Enter an independent curator who brings exhibitions to us, allowing us to experience art through words and images without leaving the comfort of home. Through Mom and I's "The Curator Who Reads Paintings," we can now explore today’s exhibition featuring four New York-based artists with the theme of "Wind."
Living within the atmosphere, we encounter air movements that generate wind. Air travels with time, prompting us to perceive this exhibition as a journey through temporal wind. This presentation features works by four Korean artists, offering winds not as gentle breezes but as echoes of memorable encounters etched in time.
Close your eyes and imagine the wind. Can you feel it on your skin? Does it evoke memories of past experiences, songs, people, and conversations?
In the peak of summer, we long for a cooling wind, while in winter, we may be drawn to the winds stirring the sea. Our memories hold numerous such winds, each with unique imprints shaped by time and cultural evolution.
The first piece is Jong-Suk Kang’s large installation, "Manhattan in Apple," made from ceramics, embodying the immigrant experience in America. This artwork symbolizes the winds that immigrants have encountered. The shadows beneath the apple-shaped ceramic pieces represent the efforts and wings of immigrant workers, reflecting their journey and achievements. As the shadow lengthens, it mirrors the immigrant's life, growing weary over time.
Sung-Ho Choi's "Untitled" (1984) installation contrasts sharply with the white ceramic by Kang. Using dark, fractured slate, this work alludes to cultural and racial dichotomies faced by immigrants. Rediscovered after 35 years, the emergence of faint molds reflects the passage of time, akin to winds preserved across decades.
Defined academically as minimalism, Lim’s “Hweck” transcends categorization, embodying nostalgic memories of his homeland. Evoking scenes with traditional objects and landscapes, Lim’s work captures the essence of childhood through vibrant, structured compositions that articulate belonging and home.
Kim’s work, "Untitled 2018/2019," presents a poetic assembly reminiscent of verses by Li Bai. Unstretched canvases create a free-flowing installation, replicating natural winds and intricate shadows, evoking the sensation of being enveloped by nature's fluidity.
Each artwork serves as a self-portrait of its creator. Understanding these creations without knowledge of the artists’ intentions can be challenging. While introductions to the artists’ works are provided, the next segment will delve into their backgrounds, inviting readers to speculate and subsequently deepen their understanding.
Next Issue: A Deeper Look into the Artists' Stories
For exhibition inquiries, contact pariskoh@gmail.com or 201-724-7077.
Su-Jeong Koh is an exhibition director at New York Tenri Gallery, an art history professor, and a critic. She has organized numerous exhibitions, bringing Korean artists to prominence in New York and beyond, and continues to promote art and music within the Korean community.
