2022. 2. 4- 3. 3
GU Nayoung

Sedimented Times, Distilled Emotions

“My mind was like muddy water contained in a glass. It was so muddy when it was stirred up. But just as the glass becomes clear after waiting for the particles to sink, my mind became calm after some time. Whether the mind was tranquil or in a swirl, I looked into it vacantly and depicted the sedimented feelings. I captured the feelings that had already been accumulated, but sometimes my mind gradually subsided as the work progressed, even when the mind was in a whirl at the start. The foolish hours of repeating the agitation and subsiding seemed to pass without a trace, but a ray of light shone even through the faint afterimage, and the accumulated dreams became a meager picture.”

I draw a myriad of lines to represent the sedimented times and distilled emotions. It is a process of recording the moments of my life as well as a time of healing. As I draw the fine lines of Oriental ink on Hanji, the lines become branches, trees, forests, which connect with each other. As I gaze at the white paper blankly and draw countless lines without a preliminary sketch, the state of my mind turns into a picture. As I look deep inside and draw the picture, my mind is gradually emptied out, and countless hours and unfathomable emotions permeate my work.

As for the patterns in my work, the tree symbolizes an existence, and the trees gathering together to form a forest symbolize coexistence and harmony. Over time, patterns have gradually been simplified, and as I put more stress on the nature of emotions than on the shapes of trees, more abstract expression became possible. I try to create a calm and serene atmosphere in my compositions by accumulating and overlapping patterns, or by making them float to create kinetic forms. I am trying to create conceptual and abstract works based on the medium of Oriental ink on Hanji. I tried to create a meditative and lyrical ambience by harmonizing the texture of Hanji, the subdued pale hue of Oriental ink, and fine lines of the brushstrokes.

I recorded the moments of my personal life in which I saw, heard, and felt in the works. Each painting contains its own story and was completed as if I were composing a piece of music or poetry. I observed carefully, discovered poetic diction, expressed it, played variations on it, and refined it. The restrained expressions became an abstract painting. I hope that the pictures capturing memories of the senses can provide a moment of empathy no matter what they suggest to viewers. Although my work may be insufficient in many ways, I still hope that people will have a moment of rest as if taking a stroll and taking time to heal when standing in front of my work. May there be a calling in the picture. . .

“I spend countless hours drawing clear and fine lines. Feeling the texture of my mind, I draw them. As if recording the moments, I look into it, ponder, and take a breath. Is there any moment that did not shine? It piles up, waxes, breaks, and shines.”

_ artist’s statement

ALLME ARTSPACE
51, Ujeongguk-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea
+82 2 733 2002

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