First published on 1 July 2023
BUMPY DAYS by YI SEO YOON
BUMPY DAYS by YI SEO YOON from gallery chosun on Vimeo.
Through painting, Yi Seo Yoon at the world and oneself, engaging in a dialogue
Through painting, Yi Seo Yoon at the world and oneself, engaging in a dialogue. The artist intends to create small, uncomfortable disturbances in the smooth and slippery world. While the artist cannot help but adapt to the smooth world, at times they feel nauseous. Advanced capitalism, rationalism, and devices like smartphones that encapsulate everything within a single screen eliminate our sense of 'here and now' and give us a sensation of standing in empty space. Investments that look to the future, processes that move ahead, vividly replayed images from the past, and images of places we have never been to—all these mix up time, and there is no place where the present exists amidst those gazes towards over there and over here.
Working for the artist is about creating a space for 'rough time.' It is a place where the artist senses the 'here and now.' The artist stands in front of the canvas, drawing, erasing, swinging, and obliterating, repeatedly inserting forms. This encompasses the sensation of holding a canvas and paint in hand, the feeling of this moment captured by irreproducible spontaneous gestures, the colors and shapes drawn, the continuous stream of questioning within the ongoing dialogue—the incessant inquiries that allow one to perceive the ground they are standing on. Working for the artist is a 'continuous trial and error' and 'the most vivid way to feel the present.'