(De-)vision Division
(De-)vision Division is a series of paintings of a single scene that blends an everyday scenario from North Korea and another scenario from South Korea into one. It is a scene I combined from two photos, one of volleyball players in North Korea, and one of people walking on a gentle slope of a mountain in Gangwon-do, South Korea. Korea has been divided for more than 75 years. Although many attempts have been made to reconcile and reunify the two states (e.g., through the so called “Sunshine Politics”) the division remains as unquestionable as ever and the border is one of the most heavily monitored regions in the world.
With this series, I paint landscapes where boundaries are broken down – in the actual landscapes as well as in the painting techniques and further artistic methods I am using in the process. The paintings of (De-)vision Division are variations of the motif described above. The idea behind the repetition is to envision the two divided Korean states as unified – yet blurred and modified. Through the tearing down of borders, between the two depicted scenarios and metaphorically between the two divided states, the long-dreamt reunification or peaceful coexistence of the two Korean states becomes tangible – at least in the eyes of the viewer. As a result of this process of visually undoing the division, the famous quote about the German reunification of the former federal chancellor Willy Brandt, “What belongs together is growing together,” may be applied to my paintings.
(De-)vision Division is a series of paintings of a single scene that blends an everyday scenario from North Korea and another scenario from South Korea into one. It is a scene I combined from two photos, one of volleyball players in North Korea, and one of people walking on a gentle slope of a mountain in Gangwon-do, South Korea. Korea has been divided for more than 75 years. Although many attempts have been made to reconcile and reunify the two states (e.g., through the so called “Sunshine Politics”) the division remains as unquestionable as ever and the border is one of the most heavily monitored regions in the world.
With this series, I paint landscapes where boundaries are broken down – in the actual landscapes as well as in the painting techniques and further artistic methods I am using in the process. The paintings of (De-)vision Division are variations of the motif described above. The idea behind the repetition is to envision the two divided Korean states as unified – yet blurred and modified. Through the tearing down of borders, between the two depicted scenarios and metaphorically between the two divided states, the long-dreamt reunification or peaceful coexistence of the two Korean states becomes tangible – at least in the eyes of the viewer. As a result of this process of visually undoing the division, the famous quote about the German reunification of the former federal chancellor Willy Brandt, “What belongs together is growing together,” may be applied to my paintings.
(탈)시각 분단
연작 <(탈)시각 분단>은 북한의 일상 풍경과 남한의 또 다른 풍경을 하나의 장면으로 그리는 회화 연작이다. 이 연작의 모티브는 북한에서 배구하는 사람들의 모습과 남한 강원도 산의 완만한 경사면을 걷는 사람들의 모습, 두 장의 사진을 합성한 장면이다. 한국은 분단된 지 75년이 넘었다. 소위 ‘햇볕정책’을 비롯해 남북 화해와 통일을 위한 많은 시도가 있었지만, 분단은 여전히 해소되지 않았고 휴전선은 세계에서 가장 감시가 심한 지역 중 하나이다.
이 연작을 통해 나는 실제 풍경뿐만 아니라 그 과정에서 사용하는 회화 기법과 예술적 방법에서 경계가 허물어진 풍경을 그린다. <(탈)시각 분단>의 그림은 위에서 설명한 모티브의 다양한 변형을 담고 있다. 이 반복의 이면에는 분단된 한국의 두 국가가 통일된 것처럼 보이지만 흐릿하고 변형된 모습으로 상상하는 아이디어가 숨어 있다. 묘사된 두 시나리오 사이, 그리고 은유적으로, 분단된 두 국가 사이의 경계가 허물어짐으로써 오랫동안 꿈꿔왔던 통일 또는 평화로운 공존이 적어도 보는 사람의 눈에는 실체화된다. 이렇게 분단을 시각적으로 해소하는 과정을 통해 빌리 브란트 전 독일 총리의 독일 통일에 대한 유명한 명언 “함께 속한 것은 함께 성장한다”가 내 그림에도 적용될 수 있을 것 같다.
Photography: Kichun Park
Photography: Kichun Park
Photography: Kichun Park
Photography: Kichun Park
Photography: Kichun Park
Photography: Kichun Park
Photography: Kichun Park
Photography: Kichun Park
Photography: Kichun Park
Photography: Kichun Park