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| Installation view |
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Morse Railing_자작나무에 CNC, 경첩, 바퀴_440x55x3cm, 210x55x3cm_2020 Morse Railing_cnc on birch, hinge, wheel_ 440x55x3cm, 210x55x3cm_2020 -but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. -what hath God wrought |
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Standard 잣대_스텐레스 스틸에 각인, 알루미늄에 각인, 자작나무_170x15x3cm, 12pcs- 지름 30cm_2020 Standard_imprinted on stainless steel, imprinted on aluminum, birch_170x15x3cm, 12pcs- diameter 30cm_2020 |
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Standard 잣대_스텐레스 스틸에 각인, 알루미늄에 각인, 자작나무_170x15x3cm, 12pcs- 지름 30cm_2020 Standard_imprinted on stainless steel, imprinted on aluminum, birch_170x15x3cm, 12pcs- diameter 30cm_2020 |
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Standard 잣대_스텐레스 스틸에 각인, 알루미늄에 각인, 자작나무_170x15x3cm, 12pcs- 지름 30cm_2020 Standard_imprinted on stainless steel, imprinted on aluminum, birch_170x15x3cm, 12pcs- diameter 30cm_2020 Signal_자작나무, 스틸, 아크릴판에 시트지, LED_1,800cm (15pcs- 119.4x26.5x20cm)_2020 Signal_cnc on birch, steel, sheet film on acrylic plate, LED_1,800cm (15pcs- 119.4x26.5x20cm)_2020 |
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Semaphore_벽면에 도색_가변크기_2020 Signal_자작나무, 스틸, 아크릴판에 시트지, LED_1,800cm (15pcs- 119.4x26.5x20cm)_2020 Semaphore_paint on wall_dimension variable_2020 Signal_cnc on birch, steel, sheet film on acrylic plate, LED_1,800cm (15pcs- 119.4x26.5x20cm)_2020 |
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Semaphore_벽면에 도색_가변크기_2020 Semaphore_paint on wall_dimension variable_2020 |
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Signal_자작나무, 스틸, 아크릴판에 시트지, LED_1,800cm (15pcs- 119.4x26.5x20cm)_2020 Signal_cnc on birch, steel, sheet film on acrylic plate, LED_1,800cm (15pcs- 119.4x26.5x20cm)_2020 |
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Signal_자작나무, 스틸, 아크릴판에 시트지, LED_1,800cm (15pcs- 119.4x26.5x20cm)_2020 Signal_cnc on birch, steel, sheet film on acrylic plate, LED_1,800cm (15pcs- 119.4x26.5x20cm)_2020 |
Nonetheless...,
A Short Pause between One Signal and Another
Boseul Shin (Total Museum Curator)
This happened a l ong time ago. I came a cross a work of art during my trip to Europe. It was a piece where the middle of a small canvas was ripped apart. The ripped part was so tense that I had to stare at it for a while. It was a work by Lucio Fontana. It is impossible to feel what I have felt with a photograph. The bold, small crack that appeared from a knife was not just a crack. It was a crack between my everyday life and the darkness beyond the canvas, not just darkness, but a universe that is infinitely expanding. Although it was a small work, I was able to see the universe. Of course, this happe ned su ch a lo ng time ago, so l ong ago that I do not even remember when it happened, so my emotions may have been exaggerated a bit. However, the day is still clear to me when I faced the work. That day, I learned that an artist creates the world with his pieces, and that artists show different parts of the world that I live in. From that day on, for me, a good work was like a signal that came across customs and prejudice, incomplete reality and “nonetheless.”
“Nonetheless”
In Eunsook Kim’s work, I identified the “nonetheless” that I had forgotten about. Of course, it was different from what I have seen in front of Fontana’s work. Rather than opening up a new world and expanding the vacuum space, she has compressed the epic stores to an image and reveal them as some sort of poetry. “Innocence, not Negation, Chitchat, not Affirm” (2014) was an exhibition that distinctively carried her work style. The work, which starts from the story of a cruel death ofa dog family atacement factory near Paju, conveys the story of the dark parts of our lives such as environmentally destructive factories that came form development, the socially weak and vulnerable, suicide rates, and lonely deaths, with the story of the abandoned dog family. However, it is impossible to identify any strong emotion in the work. The work goes back and forth between metaphors and symbols, while distancing itself from the a udience. On the floor o f the gallery, there is an advertisement signal that we can see from sports games. The signal posts years and dates of major accidents in Korea. These accidents that have bee n erased from the memories o f many people now only e xist in numbers. The moving black plastic bag, that seems like a toy for the dog, is a symbol of living things, and gold and other objects represent capitalism. While looking at the work that is just laid down without much thinking, like they are drawn in the space, I felt weird as I seemed to have an “innocent” “chitchat” about these unfortunate events. We do not have to talk about it that much.
Just like the artist has mentioned, it is the role of the artist to “show what cannot be seen” through visual images. I thought Kim is faithfully moving towards the world through her work, in her own ways.
Semaphore
On the red and yellow that fills up the walls of the gallery, we can see O (Oscar), which means “Man overboard!” Of course, there is no “man overboard ” at the gallery. The image of the flag loses its meaning when it is not on site. Nonetheless, the meanings that are created by the Semaphore flags that have met the audience have a new meaning. For example, the walls are not simply colored in red and yellow, but carry a hidden message that “There is a man overboard!” and the message that may be different from the original context may mean different things to different audience. Eunsook Kim calls this a vague message. Unreadable, vague message. Perhaps it is a message that is impossible to be read and is now fossilized.
Constellation for the Lost Wanderer
On the wall across the Semaphore flags, there is an object made of stainless steel. On each side of the man, there are circular obstacles. Perhaps it is because of the dark charcoal wall, or the image that is created by the circular objects, but the dark wall seems to look like the night sky. Soon, it may seem like the seven circular objects that form the shape of a dipper reminds us of the Big Dipper, and the constellation sign beside it reminds us of the Cassiopeia. In that case, the object at the middle must be the Polaris.
The artist made the Polaris object based on her own body measurements. Then, she evenly divided the wall to make 12 circular objects to create the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia. The seven stars of the Big Dipper and the five stars of Cassiopeia can be classi fied again to 12 stars. It is said that people identified the Polaris based on the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia that could be seen all year round. The Polaris was always thereto lead the way for the sailors, as it wasthe closest to the North. That is where the artist was.
Again, “Nonetheless”
Some work only ring the hearts of people within the gallery. Others seek a true meaning while breathing with the audience on site. There is little work that go back and forth between the inside and outside of the gallery. Interestingly Eunsook Kim’s works do not show a direct connection with the world within the gallery, but they send signals while being connected to the outside world. It is not one-directional, nor set in stone. Among the continuous signals that go back and forth between the gallery and outside the gallery, and go on to the contemporary stories, the audience have to actively seek for the message. They have to read the contemporary stories.
If I look back, the world has changed quite a bit over the past year. Since the pandemic, it became impossible for the ordinary protocol to go back to the past, and as the world continues to change, life becomes even more unexpected. Although it is possible to find infinitely many signals in the world, it is more difficult to find out how to interpret those signals, and how to respond to those signals. In such times, it became even more difficult to understand what art means, and how we should think of art. A short pause between one signal and another may still be in tact.
But now, her job changed.
At the back ground of her past works, there was a clear index of incomplete and uncomfortable world. So it was possible to move on to the world through the works. However, the current works approach the audience with stories about he world within the gallery, using vague voices. If Fontana’s work helped the audience to go into the infinite darkness through the ripped crack of the canvas, Kim’s work gives the audience an unfamiliar experience of a short pauce or wandering among different signals, to listen to the vague messages from the signals given from the outside world (or given an index).
Upon entering the gallery, the first thing that comes into sight is the red and yellow that go boldly across the wall. (“Semaph ore”, 2020) On the fl oor, there is a line of shapes an d signals that do not seem to have a clear meaning. (“Signal”, 2020)
Although Semaphore may seem like an abstract shape, it is actually a flag used by the International maritime signal flag that sends signals from a ship. Regardless of the nationality of the ship, the international sign is created to communicate in times of emergency. It is consisted of 26 letters of the alphabet (A-Z), 10 numbers (0-9), 3 representatives, and 1 answer. Without knowing this, it seems like an abstract pattern or shape, but each image actually means an alphabet letter or number, and they are used to communicate in times of great emergency. For example, the alphabet letter B (Bravo) means “We are carrying or unloading dangerous goods,” which ca me from the flag of the British navy when they were carrying military explosives or gunpowder. Also, C (Charlie) means “okay, affirmative,” as a first signal, and “Yes/no” when used with “N,” and when “NC” goes up in order, it means “SOS.”
Morse Railing (欄干/難艱)
There is a low hand rail on the floor of the gallery. If the handrail is a facility that prevents people from falling from a bridge or the edge of the stairs, the handrail on the floor does not serve that purpose, so it may not seem like a hand rail. However, it is diffi cult to simply jump into conclusions. This is because Kim’s handrail has another meaning. Handrail may be a facility to ensure safety, but it is also something that blocks entry or access. In that case, it is definitely a handrail as it blocks the movements of the audience. There is another meaning to the word “handrail” in Korean (난간), which is Morse, a state of great emotional stress and hardship. Euns ook Kim focu ses on these two aspects. Her handrail is b oth Morse, and railing. (“MorseRailing”,2020)Thisbecomeseven clearerwiththetextwrittenatthefrontandback of the handrail. The text is connected with dots and lines. It is difficult to read at first sight, rather, it cannot be read. It is written in Morse code. Those who do not know the Morse code cannot understand the meaning of the work simply by admiring it at the gallery. Just like the flags at Semaphore, the dots and lines are images, not text. Although it certainly carries a message, it is impossible to decipher it without an explanation. At the front of the handrail writes Matthew 7:21, ”Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.“ The artist aimed to convey the message of the ”place where only those who do the will of my Father (God), a place where no one else is allowed to enter, but only those who can overcome the difficulties as done by the will of my Father (God)“ with the dual meaning of the handrail. At the back of the handrail writes ”WHAT HATH GOD WROUGHT“ which is the official first Morse code message transmitted from Washington, D.C. and Baltimore in 1844. No one knows for sure why this is the first message sent by Morse. However, the fact that the first message that overcomes the limitations of the o bstacle (han drail) that blocks people from being conne cted to the world, to be sent, is related to God, is quite ironic.
”Hands up in the air=Need an umbrella“
”Hands at the head = Need a helmet“
”Stroke one’s chest with the hands = There are enough supplies in this place“ There was news here and there that the anti-government strike in Thailand, fighting for the monarchy refor m and democracy, is becoming more serious. Recently, I came across a news article that the pro- democracy demonstrators at Thailand started to communicate in signals against the government. When I saw the news, I reminded myself of Semaphore by Eunsook Kim. The work definitely did not aim to tell a story of a certain event or phenomenon. It had nothing to do with the protests at Thailand. Nonetheless, it reminded me of the many situations and stories given by the flag signals of Semaphore. Naturally, the story of the Morse code, the man who managed to stand upright among the chaos and inadequa cy, the North Pole and the Big Dipper that were the guide for the lost, those works that were independent of one an other at the gallery suddenly became connected to one. There was a sudden feeling that the works, which seemed to be simply combinations of color and form, are now connected together to tell us something. This is what I felt about Kim’s works.
”Nonetheless“
Since we have to do something right now,
Right now, in front of the work,