Questioning human beings through formative factors
Sung-Hoon, Lim(Aesthetics, Chief Curator in Moran Museum of Art)
What is human? This question is the essential key in Bae Hyung Kyung's sculpture. The private exhibition held at Hakgojae in 2004 was the serene formative response of the artist to <Born, Live, Die>. As people are born, they need to endure the journey until the day they face death. The life of human beings can be tragic in one way, and be dignified in another. Bae Hyung Kyung has been continuously working on sculptures based on existence, essence, and religion as the artistic themes, which he is famous for. One of his significant works will be exhibited at Kim Chong Yung Museum, under the theme of <Thinking, Talking>. Bae Hyung Kyung reflects the formative questions on human beings in this exhibition; this time more in depth. There are many different ways to look at Bae Hyung Kyung's sculptures, but I'd like to understand his formative arts (sculptures) in terms of existence, questions of essence, 'Amor fati', transcendental space, and human dignity.
Existence
The sculptures that express pain, conflicts, and anxiety, which are the negative factors of human life, naturally make dark and heavy impression. Bae Hyung Kyung's sculptures are also dark and heavy for the same reason. The standing statue with no facial expression projects the sensation of the stress of being here. The facial expression carved on rusty iron frankly represents the situation that human beings face. The statues are looking up at something with their arms tightly close to their bodies, or standing with their heads down, or sitting crouched, as if they sense limitations. They seem like they are in a deep thought or suppressing sadness. Each statue is in different forms and shapes, but they are all in the same situation. These statues are all combined and connected to some kind of steel lamination. This steel lamination has a double meaning because it represents consolation for the unavoidable hardship of being, and confinement that holds humans back from trying to get away from the pressure of being.
Essence
Bae Hyung Kyung's sculptures are expressive. He leaves out the detailed realistic portraits, but emphasizes on expression. The word 'expression' here means abstained reasons and the ones that are based on the process, not expressing the strong inner feelings or emotions. The factors that form human body in sculpting process are not just physical or material matters, but the thoughts. Bae Hyung Kyung's sculptures are made and finished with thoughts. This is why the question of formative arts in human precedes the concerns of forms and shapes. Bae Hyung Kyung's sculptures ask the basis and essentials of human beings. The sculptured group of statues symbolizes the essential relationships that form in between humans, and the long bar installed between the sculptures has the role of strengthening the relationship. This projects the meaning and importance of how "I" relate to "You", and thus "We" live. Despite the reasons, the relationship like this looks unstable. Human beings need relationships, but that relationship can imprison oneself. For this reason, Bae Hyung Kyung's sculptures are abstract. However, we should not forget that this notional formative arts came from fierce exertions to understand human beings.
Amor fati
Bae Hyung Kyung's work is based on traditional sculpting technique. The word 'traditional' does not mean that he uses the formative techniques in conformity with the custom. Actually, Bae Hyung Kyung's sculptures are distant from traditional formative art. However, the reason that he is thought to pursue the traditional formative art is because of his artisan spirit and attitude reflected on his works. The rough surface and texture of each sculpture contain the question of formative arts in human. It is not easy to think and talk about humans, and is even more difficult to seek it through sculpting. As I was interviewing the artist at Moran Museum Gallery, I thought of 'Amor fati'(運命愛), 'love of one's fate'. Bae Hyung Kyung said, "Sometimes I think, maybe in my previous life, I didn't pay enough attention to human beings. And so, for that reason, I just can not be negligent of my responsibility, asking and thinking about humans. From morning to night, I work all day. Work is like Karma to me." Bae Hyung Kyung knows how inconvenient work he is doing. However, that is the reason that he continues to work. Bae Hyung Kyung is the artist who actually puts amor fati into practice by serenely sculpting statues, which can be quite inconvenient, and is the kind of work that can easily exceed one's ability and strength.
Transcendental space
Many people say that Bae Hyung Kyung's sculptures have strong religious composition. It is true. However, when this is overly brought out, the implicative meaning of artist's plasticity may get scaled down. It is important to know that this religious composition started out while sculpting. Bae Hyung Kyung reached the religious composition by innumerous repetitive works. Bae Hyung Kyung said, "I kept on asking myself whether I could sculpt in my own language. And then I realized that I could not sculpt in western language. I naturally thought of Asian language, and I found the hope of my sculpting language in the statue of the Buddha." Even if the artist doesn't mention this, it is easily noticeable that his sculptures are not based on a certain religion, but the sculpting work leads towards the religion. For this reason, we can sense not only the natural space in Bae Hyung Kyung's sculptures, but also the transcendental space. The sculptures fitted inside a small wooden box, small figures placed next to each other or on top of each other, facing and leaning against one another's foreheads as if they're forming a circle, and the groups that are hanging as they form layers and layers by crouching; all together make up the transcendental space.
Human dignity
Bae Hyung Kyung's sculpting work is dark and depressed. However, it is wrong to say that his works express nihilism through formative factors. Bae Hyung Kyung's sculptures are the stacks of thoughts and ideas that came from the question of formative arts in human. It is one big mass. Can perfectly manicured shape or form handle the weight of human beings? A statue has to represent one big clump of numerous traces of life and stacks of thoughts. Bae Hyung Kyung is an artist who thinks about human beings and their dignity at all times. It would not be too difficult to read the artist's reverent intentions to not cover up humans with habitual plasticity in his sculptures. Humans are shabby but dignified beings. Bae Hyung Kyung's sculptures show the paradox that shabbiness of human beings or their poor circumstances can make humans be dignified.
* The author of this article, Sung-Hoon, Lim, graduated from Seoul National University, majoring in Aesthetics. He received M.A. and Ph.D. at Humboldt University in Germany, also majoring in Aesthetics. He is currently a member of The Korean Society of Aesthetics; aesthetics editorial board member, a research director at The Korean Society of Art Theories, and he teaches at Hongik University and Seoul National University. He has interest in integrating art theories and art practices. He is in charge of Chief Curator in Moran Museum of Art.
1955 Born in seoul
1978 B.F.A. Graduate School of Seoul National University
1987 M.F.A. Graduate School of Seoul National University
SOLO EXHIBITION
1989 The Third Gallery (Korea)
1997 Tho Art Space (Korea)
1999 Kumho Museum of Art (Korea)
2001 Moin Gallery (Korea)
2004 HakGoJae (Korea)
2008 Maison Du Chevalier (France)
2009 Pekin Fine Art (Baijing)
GROUP EXHIBITION
1983-88 The 2nd-7th MARU Sculpture Group Exhibition
1985-86 The 3rd Contemporary Art (Je-ju, Chun-ju)
1986 Language of Space (Kwan Hun Gallery)
Sculpturess Exhibition of 14 Sculptors (The Third Gallery)
Seoul Exhibition of 79 Sculptors (Kwan Hun Gallery)
1988 Korean Characteristics-The Changes and Possibilities (Dong Duk Gallery)
1989 9 Artist & Group Exhibition of 1988 (Seoul Gallery)
Figurative Art Exhibition of 1980 (Kumho Museum of Art)
Figurative Sculpture of Korea, It's Present and Future
(The Moran Open-Air Museum)
1990 A Look at Our Lives Today (Sam Jung Gallery)
Movement of Monotone (Choi Gallery)
1992 Life of Today, Art of Today (Kumho Museum of Art)
The 10th Anniversary Memorial Exhibition of Kim, Jong Yong
(Seoul Arts Center)
Exhibition for Searching Korean Spirit (Suhnam Art Center)
1993 Challenge of Korean Art 2000 (Gallery Mi Gun)
1994 Korea Minjoong Arts (The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea)
Exhibition of 6 Sculpturess (Tho Art Center)
1997 Essence of The Earth (Walkerhill Art Center)
Seoul Ceramic Art Biennale 1997
Korean Spirits-The Variation and Aim 10 the Exhibition
(Kong Phyung Art Center)
1999 Woman's Art Festival 99-Patji's on Parade (President of seoul Arts Center)
2000 Hope of Korean in New Millennium Exhibition (National Modern Museum)
Time Travel to Baekje (National Gong-ju Museum)
2003 Human Being, Feature Exhibition (Korean Craft Promotion Foundation)
Sculptor's Speaking Out Peace (Yonsei University Museum)
2004 Kidult Art Festival (Coex Mall)
Art Capsule : on This Day in History (Yonsei University Museum)
Outdoor Sculpture of Damhee Village (Damhee Villege)
2005 Play and Magnificence (The Moran Museum of Art)
2006 Seoul Art Festival (Seoul City Museum)
Kyung-ju Museum Exhibition (National Kyung-ju Museum)
2007 KIAF (Seoul, Korea)
Fia Caracas (Caracas, Venezuela)
2008 H.K 2008 Art (Hong Kong)
Art Beijing 2008 (Beijing, China)
The yellow sea art festival (kyunggido Inchun)
2009 Seoul open art fair (Seoul)
Michele Guerin (France)
Inchun Women's Viennalle (Inchun)
MulArtShow 2009 (Bu san)
2010 Him of Gyeonggi-do(Gyeonggi Museum of Modern Art)
Art Beijing Fair (Beijing, China)
Collection
The National Assembly of The Republic of Korea.
Moran Museum, Korea.
National museum of contemporary art, Korea.
Gyeonggido Museum of Art
Sculpture park of the National Assembly
The City 7
France Carcassone Department
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