SEOJUNG ART Curator Myoungha Kang
Either to disappear into the depths or to go off to the far horizon, to link oneself with profundity or with infinity, that is the destiny of man as he derives his image from the destiny of water. 1)
― Water and Dreams, Gaston Bachelard
Herman Melville's (1819-1891) "Moby-Dick" opens with the reflection that in almost every painting, water can be found somewhere. Undine, the elemental beings associated with water in European alchemical texts, discern both the darkness and light inherent in this natural element. The myth of Undine, also an archetype for a well-known fable 'The Little Mermaid,' though filled with betrayal and sorrow, intriguingly blurs the lines between reality and fantasy, crafting a narrative rich in layered meanings. The modern French philosopher Gaston Bachelard perceives water as representing an unstoppable emergence, giving rise to growth and invigorating springs. Through his lens, water as a substance is defined from both scientific and literary axes as an eternal essence and source, eloquently allegorized in the language of poetry. Consequently, water has resonated with humanity as both a symbolic representation and an unadulterated essence, encompassing divine order and serving as a poignant literary metaphor. Owing to its rich tapestry of symbolism, surpassing any other substance, water threads its way through human thought in mythology and art, serving as a vehicle for creativity. In this context, we immerse ourselves in the stories of water, letting our dreams take flight.
In "Oh Dakyo: Undine," presented by Seojung Art, Oh Dakyo finds her inspiration in the realm of water, with her paintings becoming the sea itself. Born and raised by the sea, Oh views water as a captivating and spiritual force, the source of all life. Oh imbues water with reflections of human shadows and light, letting these mirrored images evolve into visions that imply dreams. Consequently, the sea, emerging from the artist’s persistent human interaction, becomes a passage to deeply encountering oneself. This exhibition seeks to explore the sensibilities of water drawn from her personal experiences and imagination, shedding light on the principles guiding her artistic interpretation of this element and revealing how these sentiments translate into painterly messages.
Oh's sea is intertwined with meditation. Still (112X194cm, set of 3) evokes the calm and gentle expanse of the sea on a tranquil evening, giving viewers the sensation that the artist's soul has journeyed back to where it first met the ebb tide, reaching expansively beyond the confines of time and space. Crafted in layers and polished, reminiscent of the ebb and flow of tides, the artwork's soft leaden hue conveys the scent of colorless sand.
“Dirt, like water, has no shape of its own but can take on various forms depending on how it is shaped. It is the nature of dirt to be formless and yet to form shapes. When glue is melted in water and mixed with dirt and pigment, it becomes a mud. This mixture is then applied to Jangle paper, or brushed onto paper, allowing the dirt and pigment to move across and permeate the paper in a single stroke. The actions of my brush on the canvas, through the process of drying, become like fossils, solidifying and gaining a sense of permanence. “ 2)
The ash hue, although devoid of color, encapsulates every shade, revealing the sea's profound and spiritually intrinsic essence. A notable feat is that Oh attempted a large-scale backdrop spanning 6 meters in width—transcending human scale—to capture the dignity of the vast sea. Within this, the audience can gradually discern the latent potential and noble essence of nature and humanity, set apart from the clamorous world.
Meanwhile, on the sea (one of 53X45.5cm) captures waves that elegantly undulate, embodying a youthful vigor. The shimmering blue waves, reminiscent of sandy textures, glide with firm yet translucent flexibility. Smooth, round, crystal-like grains are meticulously blended with a damp mixture of fine, soft earth powder and donkey-hide gelatin. Oh varies the use of materials such as hemp cloth, canvas, linen, and Jangji paper depending on the size of each work. For this particular series, Jangji paper was selected to convey the subtle impression of sand and dirt thinly rising and permeating, creating a sensation of natural diffusion. Just as beach sand naturally dries under the sun and wind, the sandy texture on the canvas harbors layers of energy, morphing into expansive waves. The canvas conveys the sea's serene elegance and its velvety shimmer with a dreamlike tranquility.
Oh Dakyo's series of works expresses a longing for a complete homeland in the realm of existence and a desire to return home. For the artist, who seems to feel a deeper yearning for a perfect world than most, the sea represents both a quiet force of the soul and a resilient way of being. The sea, which has guided Oh's heart as an eternal principle of life, is not merely abstract. The sea spread across the canvas in her logic and rhythm achieves the feat of directing our gaze toward an origin beyond. The peculiar and complex affairs of humanity seem almost playful or trivial in front of the sea's subtle yet encompassing magnitude.
1) Bachelard, G. and Farrell, E.R. (2006). Water and dreams : an essay on the imagination of matter. Dallas, Texas: Pegasus Foundation.
2) Oh, D. (2021). Expression of Light Using Soil : Based on My Own Artworks. Seoul National University, pp.46–47.
November 17, 2023
