Human-scape Series
바람의 화(化) (Shapes of Desire) 2011~2012
"-scape" (2010~2011)
Statement: Human-scape series
I am interested in the relationship between the social structure and the individuals, how our human instincts, cultural customs, and fostered ideas affect one another and come together to form the world as it is. My last year and half have largely been dedicated to a series of work that deal with this question, which I dubbed as the –scape series.
The <–scape> series, as suggested in the name, are landscapes. The twist is that while from a distance they look like abstract peaks and valleys set against utopian skies, a close-up view reveals thousands of climbing figures. The human figures, originating from oil stick and crayon drawings on paper, have been scanned and repeated countless times in their digitized form. Lumped together and working toward an unrecognizable goal, they are the embodiment of our desire to exceed and rise above others. It is this endless longing for ascension that becomes the very energy that supports the mega-structure of my image, a structure that we’ve formed for ourselves and are engulfed in.
Though embedded in the image are also hints of hope in the form of ropes, ladders, and balloons, they are futile at best in comparison to the weight of the overall picture. The figures therefore exist only as part of this paradoxical landscape, from which none can escape because there is nowhere else to go. The only choice left is to carry on, Like Sisyphus, forever climbing up the hill, humming to the buzz however illogical or idiotic the tune may seem. The resulting scene is a panorama of both the terror and beauty of our world, of the sublime nature of human experience in contemporary society.
The <–scape> series, as suggested in the name, are landscapes. The twist is that while from a distance they look like abstract peaks and valleys set against utopian skies, a close-up view reveals thousands of climbing figures. The human figures, originating from oil stick and crayon drawings on paper, have been scanned and repeated countless times in their digitized form. Lumped together and working toward an unrecognizable goal, they are the embodiment of our desire to exceed and rise above others. It is this endless longing for ascension that becomes the very energy that supports the mega-structure of my image, a structure that we’ve formed for ourselves and are engulfed in.
Though embedded in the image are also hints of hope in the form of ropes, ladders, and balloons, they are futile at best in comparison to the weight of the overall picture. The figures therefore exist only as part of this paradoxical landscape, from which none can escape because there is nowhere else to go. The only choice left is to carry on, Like Sisyphus, forever climbing up the hill, humming to the buzz however illogical or idiotic the tune may seem. The resulting scene is a panorama of both the terror and beauty of our world, of the sublime nature of human experience in contemporary society.
"-scape" series (2010)
