JANG KOAL

Tang Contemporary Art will be holding Jang Koal‘s solo exhibition, Alone Not Lonely from 17 September to 30 October. This exhibit is like a letter of consolation for modern people who hold in their hearts the loneliness and depression sent with living creatures such as cats and people as well as backgrounds depicted with the artist’s imagination. Globally recognised for her distinctive painting style and unique images, Alone Not Lonely is Jang Koal’s first solo exhibition in Bangkok.

At Alone Not Lonely, the artist presents happy memories and shares the moment to give us strength to overcome and make a step forward although it may be difficult to heal our inner loneliness and wounded heart.

‘Precisely the least thing, the gentlest, lightest, the rustling of a lizard, a breath, a moment, a twinkling of the eye—little makes up the quality of the best happiness.’

The female-form of people that appear in her works represent the modern people living with the distress of reality, loneliness, and broken heart. She refuses to create beautiful images of modern people carrying the burden of reality. Instead, each character appears to be serene and candid, making it more gorgeous.

The background of her works expressed with the way the artist views and preserves the world intertwined with her imagination shows her warm-heart of looking at the world and consolation for modern people. A cat, turtle, plant, and living thing that the artist created comes near and stays with the illustrated characters in her works, trying to share feelings and arousing pleasant tension in the works. A fleeting moment to calm one’s discontent such as saying hello to a cat met on the way, the waving wild grass, time spent with friends or family members and spending time alone to communicate with the inner self appears in the lyrical and dreamlike paintings which have psychological and artistic attraction. Pieces of memories in the newly recreated works evoke the audiences’ emotion at that moment, inviting them to share the moment of healing.

At this exhibition, the series that focuses on the shape of a person especially concentrates on colour. In other words, the inner side of modern people is dyed in the colour of honest feelings. Colour is a significant element that completes her works. Accordingly, Jang Koal covers the wooden panel top with hanji (traditional Korean paper), glues them, and works with acrylic paints. Then, the paint would settle on paper to present clear, yet peculiar colours.

Jang Koal has been active in exhibiting her works in Nanzuka Underground Gallery (Tokyo), Powerlong Museum (Shanghai) and Everyday Mooonday Gallery (Seoul), and participated in artist residence programmes such as Cité Internationale des Arts (Paris), and Residency Colección Solo House (Somo, Spain).