LEE Eun Joo

Installation View of 24 Seasons: Being and Time

Twenty-four seasons refer to days set by dividing the year into 24 periods according to the movement of the sun. It is said that in East Asia, which was an agricultural society, the season was used to know the changes of the season for farming. In other words, 24 seasons can be said to be a calendar that divides the season into approximately15 days intervals.

The reason why the exhibition title was set to 24 seasons is that from 2018 to 2022, the scenery of Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do, was mainly captured on the day of the season, recording the season recording the scenery that varies according to the season and observing the changes, There is an argument that 24 seasons exist in human life. According to this theory, the season given to each person varies depending on the date and time of birth, and that one’s life unfolds according to the seasons they meet like fate.

2019 곡우, 45.5 x 45.5 cm, 캔버스에 혼합재료 Mixed Media on Canvas, 2023

For a long time, I have been asking the question, ‘Who am 1?’ In particular, l’ve been wondering if there’s a reason when my life isn’t going the way I want. Then I came across a theory related to the 24 seasons of life, and there I was able to discover some answers about the meaning of my existence and life.

The answer is, of course, not perfect. The meaning of my Being may be that I should continue to try to understand its meaning in various ways throughout my life. Or maybe you don’t know the meaning until the moment you die.

Heidegger expressed his unique idea of time in his book, Being and Time. It is said that the original time is not usually the objective time we know, but the time when I do something, the time when something important is happening, and the time when something meaningful occurs.

2019 우수 The Melting and Raining Season in 2019, 26 x 19.5 cm, 종이에 시아노타입 Cyanotype on paper, 2023

And it is said that we humans do not currently be in a perfect state, but be by constantly going beyond ourselves to find possibilities and realize them. In the process, external objects(others and objects) reveal themselves to us in time. It is said that we engage with them (others and things) and seek new possibilities based on them. In the end, Heidegger argued that the meaning of our own being and the possibility of being are fundamentally found in the horizon of time. In the theory of the 24 seasons, it is said that we humans have different relationships with others and things depending on the season we were born in, and as a result, individual humans have uniqueness and individuality. At first glance, Heidegger’s understanding of being and time seems to be closely linked to the theory of the 24 seasons that individual humans build their own meaning of being while having various relationships with seasons, nature, and people according to the seasons they were born in.

2021 상강, 80 x 80 cm, 캔버스에 혼합재료 Mixed Media on Canvas, 2023

In any case, the theory of 24 seasons in East Asia and Heidegger’s ontology are similar in that they emphasize the importance of people understanding the meaning of their being and finding and building future possibilities based on it. Although we may have no choice but to continue this effort without receiving a clear answer until the world comes to an end.

Through the 24 seasonal landscapes introduced in this exhibition, I hope that it will serve as an opportunity for visitors to learn about the seasons in which they were born and to think about how they relate to your life and how they affect your life.

2022 동지 The Day of Winter Solstice in 2022, 40 x 30 cm 종이에 시아노타입 Cyanotype on paper, 2023

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