MOON Insoo

Hyeonryul 現律: The Logic of the Present, the Paradigm of the Now

For the artist, expression is a part of daily life.
An artwork is not merely the result of physical or chemical processes that fill the canvas with materials and techniques—it emerges from everyday experiences such as breathing and thinking.
Art, therefore, goes beyond reproducing aesthetic or societal demands; it is a personal impulse and playful effort to saturate everyday life.
Furthermore, rather than asserting ambiguity, the artwork communicates meaning through its very presence to contemporary viewers.
Ultimately, through the act of viewing, art becomes a natural part of the audience’s own daily life—this transformation is the true artistic act.

Installation View (1)

Moon In-soo’s interpretation of the value of virtue lies in harmonizing the internal and external realms, thereby leveling their artistic significance.
The equations—artist and society, art and society, artist and art—are fundamentally fair, with no single element outweighing the others as a more substantial or realistic subject matter.
From this, we can begin to clearly understand Moon In-soo’s perspective: that artistic practice must serve as a mirror to both the artist and society.

Moon Insoo, Hyunryul, 2025, 90.9×72.7cm ,Mixed media

Moon Insoo , (30호) Hyunryul, mixed media, 2025

When the work fails to become a mirror, it risks remaining mere self-indulgence or being reduced to just one of countless discarded byproducts—a self-directed warning.
Moon In-soo conveys this conviction not through direct speech but through a highly symbolic and intuitive approach.
His rebar-and-concrete works did not begin with a clearly defined purpose. Rather, he likely felt a sense of awe toward the grandeur and facade of architectural structures, and the dull tones and rust stains of the exposed rebar added a sense of gritty realism.
Though cement and rebar are seemingly incompatible materials, they exist with a clear presence—each bearing its own meaning and supporting the other. From the space between them emerges the human experience, shaped through diverse forms of life.
His works originate from a highly grounded mode of thinking—rooted in the immediacy of the lived world. This condition provides the artist with a direct and powerful motivation for creation.
Thus, his works exist not as objects with a distinct “scent,” but rather as odorless masses. Though composed of mineral materials, they are mountain-like—unyielding and ever-standing, refusing to adapt or change with the seasons. Simply standing tall is enough.

Moon Insoo , (30호) Hyunryul, mixed media, 2025

Moon Insoo , (30호) Hyunryul, 2025,90.9×72.7cm, Mixed media

Just as Richard Serra’s simple yet powerful steel sculptures allow us to experience steel not merely as material, but as the “minimum of form” or the “vitalization of the inanimate,” Moon In-soo similarly evokes a sense of life through an inanimate approach—eliciting the expectation of the living from the non-living.

Duru artspace
5, Jahamun-ro 45-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
02 720 0345

WEB   INSTAGRAM