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| Park Ki-woong's "Hamlet 2020-24" (2020) is on view as part of his new solo exhibition at the Gallery LaON in central Seoul. Courtesy of the artist |
By Park Han-sol
William Shakespeare's greatest scenes of tragedy and comedy have been reborn in the reflective stainless steel wonderland of sculptor-cum-painter Park Ki-woong.
Park's new solo exhibition at Gallery LaON in central Seoul offers a peek into his latest series, "Shakespeare" and "TONOTENACELA," through some 15 pieces on display.
"In my work, I wanted to go beyond simply pursuing aesthetic expressions and instead portray a certain timeless message that resonates with the present-day reality," he told The Korea Times in a recent email interview.
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| Sculptor and painter Park Ki-woong / Courtesy of the artist |
In his "Shakespeare" series, the artist has reimagined the dramatist's five-act plays into a triptych or a relief focusing on the selected iconic scenes ― which all unfold in the mirrored surface of stainless steel.
One of his sculptures, "Hamlet 2020-24," depicts the tragic assassination of King Hamlet by his brother, Claudius, who pours a poisonous potion into his ear.
"Upon coming across the work, viewers see their reflections superimposed onto such a recognizable scene from a classical play … The past and the present intersect and remain in dialogue with each other," Park said.
Another series on display is "TONOTENACELA," a term coined by the artist to refer to "a lost heavenly paradise."
A circle-shaped canvas, whose pattern is inspired by the planets of our solar system, contains a set of stainless steel sculptures in the middle ― all stemming from the legends, myths and cultural images associated with the cosmos.
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| Park Ki-woong's "TONOTENACELA 2022-303: Blue Planet (Earth) Adam & Eve" (2022) / Courtesy of the artist |
While the sky we see today is not much different from the one witnessed thousands of years ago, the urbanization in the modern age has turned it into dull scenery that is no longer able to kindle people's curiosity and imagination, he said.
"Countless legendary stories of heaven that have sprung from the imagination of our ancestors are no longer present within the minds of today's population. I wished to remind them of these tales once again," Park noted.
As a result, the series portrays each planet enveloping the images of the past fiction and reality ― Sandro Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus," the biblical story of Adam and Eve and Joseon-era painter Shin Yun-bok's "Two Lovers Under the Moon," among others.
Both series visualize the artist's interest in examining how one can understand the present through a window to the past.
But of course, these two do not mark the end of the 64-year-old's journey of creative exploration.
While the artist plans to further develop his "Shakespeare" and "TONOTENACELA" series in the future, he has already begun putting another idea into practice through his new "Time & Speed" series ― one that presents a life force that exists beyond the confines of time and space.
"I aim to continuously research new works that can visualize the timeless, universal questions concerning humanity," the artist said.
The exhibition, "Ki-woong Park," runs until Aug. 15 at the Gallery LaON.
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