HAIYUN JUNG

For the first time in this solo exhibition, Jung introduces new works crafted from an unconventional material: synthetic turf, instead of her usual handmade Korean paper. By using this every day, familiar material, the artist explores new directions in her genre and conveys a bold desire for artistic freedom. Her sweeping, dynamic brushstrokes and vibrant colors on the turf emphasize expressive freedom, breaking away from the restrained details of her earlier works to delve into more instinctive, sensory aspects of the self. Jung also incorporates shopping bags as a symbol of the exchange of material and spiritual resources, portraying peace as a fundamental human desire being transferred within these exchanges. Much like a shopping bag that carries and protects its contents, her works evoke the ways humans present themselves and the processes of transferring and sharing art. Her stainless-steel shopping bags represent durability and leave room for imagination, metaphorically embodying the essence of art.

Jung’s signature pieces, Plan B and Relation, project the diversity of human life through images of titmice, examining the relationships and ideals of an interconnected society. In her Relation series, titmice perched atop open drawers symbolizes various life stories and explores the significance of coexistence and interdependence. Plan B, with its intricate threads, indirectly represents life’s alternative paths and the maturity and hope that emerge from choices.

About the ArtistJung Haiyun graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in traditional Korean painting. Her works explore themes of relationships and harmony through layered spatial arrangements, blending Eastern and Western techniques to create contemporary paintings. Her compositions, featuring freely arranged natural elements like birds, trees, landscapes, and human figures, focus on the formation of networks and the interplay between individuals. Jung has received notable attention domestically and internationally at art fairs and exhibitions. Her titmice carrying threads in their beaks, an artistic metaphor for human relationships, are rendered in fine detail, symbolizing innate human nature. Her work is celebrated for its refined completion and expressive depth, along with its insightful themes and unique, nuanced execution.