“Light” and “Quest” Myung-Sook Lee & Bong Jung Kim | August 25th – Sep 5, 2023
Opening: Friday, August 25th, 2023, 6-9 pm
Artist Talk: Sunday, August 27th, 2023, 4-6 pm (Panel Discussion: 4:15-5:00 pm)
From August 25th to September 5th, One Art Space will host two special solo shows “Light” and “Quest” respectively. Esteemed Korean artist Myung-Sook Lee and prominent New York mid-career artist Bong Jung Kim’s exhibitions will be simultaneously presented for the first time.
The unique and impactful exhibition showcases the luminous works of renowned Myung-Sook Lee, known for vivid colors and succinct lines, alongside the diligent artist Bong Jung Kim, who has constructed his distinct realm through unique objects and concepts, resulting in a peculiar yet harmonious combination. The exhibitions of Myung-Sook Lee and Bong Jung Kim, titled “Light” and “Quest” respectively, harmoniously interact, mutually enhancing their brilliance.
The artist’s press releases are shared in anticipation of their combined luminosity. Hope you can join us and enjoy this wonderful exhibition together.
For 50 years, artist Myung-Sook Lee has captured the boundless interplay of light through her artwork, which stands as a precious fruit of love entwined with the most astonishing colors created by God. Her work, expressed through simple lines and a diverse palette, embodies both Western boldness and Eastern tranquility, captivating the heart with its splendid yet quiet, passionate yet pure nature.
Like Creating a collage by cutting colored paper, resembling the works of Henri Matisse, Lee’s use of color expands infinite space and conveys energy through form and line, naturally and profoundly revealing the unique emotions of Korean culture. Her distinctive technique, resembling intricately cut paper, exudes dynamism and depth, leading the viewer down a path of purity and movement, reminiscent of encountering nature’s condensed forms of forests, paths, and wind.
Through the continual interaction of various images, the artist evokes a fundamental sense of stability. This stability, rooted in her journey towards distinct beauty, harmoniously reconciles and conveys aesthetic unity amidst the various juxtapositions and smooth agreements of separate elements, offering viewers an aesthetic harmony. The potent message conveyed through simple color and form reveals her meticulous selection of colors, emphasizing their weight and distinct energies. This process of selection becomes a form of meditation for both the artist and the viewer, as Lee explores the emotional and aesthetic values of colors and their effects, creating a musical and visual illusion.
The layers of thought and the process of creation allow the lines pierced by light to weave, separate, unify, and transform the space into a new realm of freedom, once again eliciting admiration for her delicate imagination and refined technique. Placing creatively elegant forms on the canvas, Lee captures moments of exhilaration within subtle and small changes, conveying profound and gentle yet deeply moving emotions.
Having majored in Fine art at Kyung Hee University and graduate school, Myung-Sook Lee has held solo and group exhibitions in renowned museums and galleries in the United States (New York and Canada) as well as in Korea. She has also lectured at Kyung Hee University and has received numerous awards for her exceptional work.
Bong Jung Kim, an abstract artist, focuses on the distinction and harmony between natural and artificial, mechanical and organic elements. His work delves into the long-established post-human condition, centered around the relationship with digital technology and artificial intelligence that have become integral to our daily lives.
With affection and interest, discarded objects are collected by the artist, placed onto his artworks, and harmoniously blend with selected entities of entirely different natures, giving birth to new life and artworks. This journey begins with temptation, evolves through addiction and healing, ultimately transforming into harmony, a testament to his own story. The use of emotive colors, dynamic brushwork, and integration of mechanical components metaphorically depict phenomenological relationships. Bong Jung Kim’s abstract paintings, adorned with mechanical parts, are captivating, powerful, and enticing. Through contrasting materials, the artist’s questions about newly generated contrasts, shades, and forms invite contemplation.
Much like how God elevates human life into beautiful artwork on his canvas, the artist retrieves, arranges, and harmoniously integrates life to create new, transcendent artworks, imbued with value beyond their original purpose. Breathing life into art, transcending dimensions.
The process of seeking harmony within differences, even amidst discord, is beautifully expressed in the new artwork, reflecting the aspiration to achieve unity. If diverse and disparate materials can harmoniously coexist on a canvas, the artist yearns for human life to be similarly utilized as a small yet vital part of harmony.
The profound transformation in the artist’s work, borne from thoughtful exploration, resonates deeply, a declaration that the joy of authentic work is its own reward. The artist’s pure creative world, where all sensations converge, promises an exciting future.
A graduate of Seoul National University’s Department of Western Painting, Bong Jung Kim has held solo and group exhibitions in museums and galleries across New York, New Jersey, Greece, and Korea. He is a prominent mid-career artist actively engaged in the New York art scene.
