The Korean Cultural Center Washington, D.C. (KCCDC) proudly presents Placeless Places, a new group exhibition of visual art from Korea that investigates the new ways in which we experience a sense of place—or lack thereof—in a world of ubiquitous remote communication, virtual events, and face-to-screen interactions. These contemporary works by emerging artists Seo Wanho, You Seunghee, and Choi Eunji created post-pandemic update a familiar concept of the 20th century: placelessness.

 

Based on the idea that a place encompasses a certain human element that mere physical space lacks, Seo, You, and Choi each visualize the human experience when this sense of place is gone. The notion of placelessness, proposed by geographer Edward Relph in the 1970s and reinforced by decades of digitization, globalization, and now a global pandemic, is epitomized by traditional human meeting places like schools, offices, and cultural venues becoming socially distanced—sometimes permanently.  

 

Seo Wanho depicts abandoned lots and redevelopment sites that are typically ignored in urban settings, evoking a feeling of absence or misplacement through an unconventional use of traditional oil on canvas. You Seunghee’s works focus on the near-ubiquitous experience of people in online settings, philosophically examining notions of self in an arresting abstract style that employs acrylic on wood. Choi Eunji produces works that visually reflect her own experience of placelessness observing industrialized urban landscapes, depicted with a vivid, digital image-inspired use of acrylics.

 

Most pieces featured in Placeless Places were created recently in the wake of the pandemic, and thus address a sense of placelessness. By presenting their works together, this exhibition aims to spark conversation on the significance of places to people and how we relate to them in a newly shifted world.

 

Placeless Places will remain on view from February 3 through March 29, 2023 (walk-in hours are 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., excluding 12 – 1 p.m., Monday – Friday). 

 

About the Artists  

 

Seo Wanho Keeping My Balance, 116.8x91.0 cm, Oil on canvas, 2021

Seo Wanho Blind Scene, 90.9x72.7 cm, Oil on canvas, 2019

         

Seo Wanho explores places that are typically encountered on the outskirts of cities, such as moss-covered barren ground, concrete building walls, and uninhabited redevelopment areas. All these places are or have been vacant in the capitalist sense, which plays a crucial role in shaping the value and meaning of spaces in the modern day. People also typically fail to notice these locations, and almost no human interaction occurs there, thus making them placeless places. Seo purposefully uses a rapid brush technique and subdued colors to create landscapes and figures that are shaky and faint, almost like ghosts. People depicted in his works cannot be identified and they are all shown from the back, which heightens the sense of alienation experienced in these places.

 

Seo Wanho has developed most of his artistic career in Jeonju, located in the North Jeolla Province of South Korea. He lectures to students at Jeonbuk National University and served as a representative artist in the North Jeolla Province residence program. His unique perspective on urban places is inspired in part by the environment in which he lives, in contrast to the other two artists in this show, who are both based in the large capital city of Seoul. While he creates most of his artwork in his hometown, Seo has also taken part in exhibitions at prominent galleries in Seoul. He has expanded the reach of his artistic pursuits overseas through shows in cities such as Paris, Shanghai, and Manila.

You Seunghee Out of Sight, 117.0x86.0 cm, Acrylic on wood panel, 2023

You Seunghee Two Ego, 75.0x37.0 cm, Acrylic on wood panel, 2022

       

You Seunghee explores virtual spaces that do not exist in a physical sense yet have a significant impact on our daily lives. As existential beings, humans are increasingly put in ambiguous and ironic positions within such cyber environments: they do not exist there physically, yet they also have a presence because they actively engage in virtual activities. Even death can lead to new life on online platforms through continuously reproduced and shared images. However, because the lives presented online are not fully complete, some people strive to fill the void of the self in these placeless places, which You observes and expresses in her works. The thin wooden panels she employs as her medium reflect the weighty but light aspect of the human condition. She also uses pastel colors in juxtaposition to the somber message being conveyed to emphasize the sardonic mood similar to that of a tragic fairy tale.

 

You Seunghee is an emerging artist based in Seoul. She previously produced art works that highlighted intimate and private spaces such as a home characterized by daily life. Since the pandemic her interest has shifted to online spaces which are becoming an increasingly important part of our life. As a critic herself, she constantly incorporates her philosophical ideas into her artwork.

Choi Eunji Blue Screen_05, 72.7x4.0cm, Acrylic on acrylic panel, 2022

Choi Eunji Duplicate, with_01, 150.4x100.0cm, Acrylic on acrylic panel, 2021

   

Choi Eunji creates artwork that refigures the urban landscape. By transforming the key components of cities such as skyscrapers, glass windows, and pipes into simple geometrical patterns such as lines, squares, and circles, Choi purposefully eliminates the originality and distinctiveness of places. Based on her observation that certain sites once full of memories can completely disappear due to factors like gentrification, Choi conveys the sense of placelessness frequently felt in the urban settings. Her peculiar creation process also makes her works distinctive: she takes a photo framing certain places in detail and then digitally alters the image and thus its sense of place. The distinctiveness of a place is lost in the process, leaving only the fundamental framework which becomes a digital model for her physical painting. In the final work, places are technically reproduced, but not through realism; rather, it is an expression of a now unfamiliar space that does not arouse any feelings, which perfectly visualizes placeless places.

 

Choi Eunji has been pursuing her artistic career since the early 2010s and has taken part in a variety of exhibitions. Her works have always been primarily concerned with urban settings, and she has developed a variety of strategies for conveying this placelessness. By experimenting with varied media and artistic techniques, Choi has earned multiple awards in renowned art contests in Seoul.

[ⓒ 뉴욕코리아(www.newyorkkorea.net ), 무단 전재 및 재배포 금지]