Art, science and shamanism

In Beak Jung-ki's latest work "Pray for Rain," the Vaseline petroleum jelly fills the cracked earth on the wall of Doosan Gallery in central Seoul.
/ Courtesy of Doosan Gallery

Beak Jung-ki employs scientific methods to broaden perspective

This is the 12th in a series of interviews with notable artists recommended by the Korean Artist Project, an online platform promoting Korean art. ― ED.

By Kwon Mee-yoo

A painting of an apricot blossom hangs in Doosan Gallery in downtown Seoul. When examined closely, a transmitter is seen connected to the painting. The painting uses conductive ink, meaning it works as an antenna, and its radio waves are picked up by a radio inside the gallery.

Beak Jung-ki's artwork "Homeopathic Magic: Blossom" is part of his solo exhibit "Mind Walk" at Doosan Gallery, running through July 4.

"The apricot blossom symbolizes nobility and positive energy," Beak said in an interview with The Korea Times. "Good energy is received by the radio, which delivers it into the gallery. It is a kind of sound therapy."

Beak Jung-ki's "Homeopathic Magic: Blossom"
/ Courtesy of the artist and Doosan Gallery

At first glance, Beak's works on display are borderline fine art and a scientific experiment. He does not use traditional materials such as oil paint or ink, but prints with pigments extracted from plants or river water on litmus paper.

Four of his paintings are "Contagious Magic: Sprout, Forsythia, Azalea, Satsuki," which are made with pigments extracted from the plants.

"In 2012, I printed a landscape with pigments collected from autumn leaves," Beak said. "This time, I printed the cellular structure of each plant with color extracted from the plant. The term 'contagious magic' comes from James George Frazer's book 'The Golden Bough.' I am interested in the incantatory nature of magic, which views the pigment and the plant as still linked together after separation. My work aims to connect incompatible things such as science and shamanism."

Beak Jung-ki's "Untitled: Vaseline Helmet"

"Contagious Magic" is a sequel to Beak's "Is of" series, which portrayed Seoraksan Mountain with autumn leaf pigments and a Seoul cityscape with water from the Hangang River.

While he printed with water from the Hangang River on litmus paper to capture the landscape of Seoul in "Is of," the "Contagious Magic: 16 Reservoirs" is Beak's way of inquiring about the truth of the four-river restoration project.

"This is an artistic answer to what we see through the media," Beak said. "I visited 16 reservoirs from the project, took photos of the dams and collected water from each of them. Each reservoir has different acidity and reacts with litmus paper in different ways. This results in distinctive intensities. It is a portrait of the water, the reservoir and the river."

Beak Jung-ki's "Untitled: Egg Incubator and Candle"converts candlelight into electronic energy to incubate eggs.

Beak sees the construction of the reservoirs as an example of civil engineering that upsets the balance between humans and nature. "During modernization, humans unilaterally developed nature and the balance collapsed. I captured the imbalance through the acidity of water, printed on litmus paper."

The meeting of art and engineering in Beak's works excite the curiosity of viewers. However, for Beak, those are just a means of expression. The artist employs scientific methods to broaden his artistic perspective and add logic to his artworks.

A wall of the gallery is covered in clay and the gaps of the parched soil are filled with petroleum jelly, which provides moisture and protects the earth. This artwork, titled "Pray for Rain," is in line with Beak exploring water as the root of life.

Beak Jung-ki's "Is of: Seoul," which portrays a cityscape printed on litmus paper with river water

"The cracks are for the amount of water evaporated," Beak said. "I think it is similar to our society, where individuals are buried in one's thoughts and the gap between them widens. I used Vaseline instead of water, but they share a curative and catalytic nature."

Some might wonder if Beak comes from a scientific or engineering background, but he was an art student who loved drawing since childhood. He graduated from the School of Fine Arts at Kookmin University in Seoul, studied fine art at Chelsea College of Arts and received his master's degree from Glasgow School of Art.

Beak's earliest works, which he created while studying in the United Kingdom, also used Vaseline petroleum jelly to fill gaps in a brick wall ("Treatment: SW1P 4JU," 2007) and to mold helmets around models' heads ("Untitled (Vaseline Armor)," 2007).

"The use of Vaseline comes from personal experience," Beak said. "When I was young, I suffered severe burns after a fire and Vaseline was something I always carried with me as first-aid. When my mom gave the cane to me, she would come up later and apply Vaseline on my calves as a conciliatory gesture. Vaseline and water represent the same power of recovery to me, as Vaseline is an oil-based lube that protects water."

Beak saw the ritual for rain as a means of communication and a shamanistic rite. "I headed to the Sahara Desert to hold a ritual for rain for my graduate work. While holding the ritual, I started to wonder why I was doing this ― is this an ideological gesture or do I truly want rain? I am not a scientist but an artist, so the question shifted to the combination of fine art and pure science."

As Beak pursues shamanistic ideas through scientific processes, another experiment involves the creation of life. "Untitled: Egg Incubator and Candle" converts candlelight into electronic energy to incubate eggs.

"Candlelight symbolizes one's wishes," Beak said. "I tried to transform the energy of desire to hatch chicks. I am also interested in the circularity of the chicken and the egg, which refers to overcoming a crisis in folk religion."

He installed the candle-powered egg incubators previously, but the chicks failed to hatch then. "I am more positive about the hatching this time since the atmosphere is more stable and quiet." Beak said that he wants to raise the chick if it comes out of the egg.

He will soon head to New York to take part in Doosan Gallery New York's residency program for six months. Beak is excited to explore the vast nature of the United States, such as its deserts and volcanoes, which will enlighten his new works.

"Science and philosophy might seem incompatible, but I think they are in complementary relations. My works bridge spirit and material and human and nature and suggest an integrated way of thinking to the essence of the world."

For more information about the artists, visit www.koreanartistproject.com.