'Looking at the Space' is a keyword which reads the works of Koh, Myung-Keun. Photo sculpture of Koh, Myung-Keun which continues the work calling objects of three-dimensional structure such as buildings and sculpture in photo of flat surface and calling again compressed images in space puts old, forgotten and worn buildings of cities, ancient sculpture which you can see in museum or daily routine in the street which you are so accustomed to that it doesn't remain in your memory into entirely new transparent space together with the image of nature such as wind, fire, water and trees.

The photo sculpture of the author which summons the reality and past, things material and immaterial, nature and human to one space and creates new scenery through unexpected meeting is making fluid and arbitrary image while actual space and things move into the same space. And the transparent three-dimensional structure which contains arbitrary image like this and is fixed seems to be inducing various points of view and new experiences for observers to see space and objects. After loitering around the streets and collecting image going far away, he prints photo image on OHP film and again by pressing the film on thin acryl plate with heat fixes the image. The flat surface of acryl plate on which images are coated is completed into form of house or rectangular box or transparent three-dimensional sculpture of indeterminate form.

The photo sculpture of Koh, Myung-Keun is the work treating points of view to see space and objects and treating image. Transparency of acryl and film used by the author gets rid of property of matter of object which obtained image has, and things whose property of matter is gotten rid of, following the direction of viewers, becomes mutual shadows and are piled up one on another to make illusion in the space. 

The object which we are accustomed to approaches to us as an unfamiliar and new object before diverse point of time and view, and the relation we make in the space also denies previous relation and makes new meeting. And we realize that what we know through such sight experience is only images and what we have are also only images. Transparent space of Koh, Myung-Keun which is making new space far away from the reality so that it broadens sight experience of appreciators and through this they can see the object without any prejudice and they can freely make relations enables observation of image from various angles and direct contact. With this method Koh, Myung-Keun continues questions and answers about reality and unreality, flat surface and space and how reality and illusion are related, what to see is and what image is.

Koh Myung Keun (1965 ~) majored in sculpture at Seoul National University and later he studied photograph at Graduate School, Pratt Institute, New York. While experiencing two media different from each other, the artist is attempting new contact point where two media meet in the work continues to make live activities in domestic Korea and foreign countries opening private exhibitions in domestic photo/sculpture art galleries and Museums such as The Museum of Photography, Seoul and Kim, Chong Yung Sculpture Museum, Seoul including solo exhibition at Leeahn Gallery (2007) and including exhibitions at Frey Norris Gallery (San Francisco), Andrew Bae Gallery (Chicago) in the US, and at Tokyo Gallery (Tokyo) and recently opened solo exhibitions at DoSi Gallery, Busan and Louis Vuitton Gallery in Taipei.

In the second solo exhibition 'Looking at the Space' after exhibition in 2007, together with new work which combines character with the background of images of nature and contemporary cityscape he is supposed to announce large scale three-dimensional work which viewers can participate in.  

Curator HaeKyung Kim
LEEAHN GALLERY

 

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고명근의 시공

'공간을 보다'는 고명근의 작업을 읽는 하나의 키워드이다. 

건축물과 조각 등 입체의 대상을 평면의 사진으로 그리고 압축된 이미지들을 다시 공간으로 불러들이는 작업을 이어오고 있는 고명근의 사진조각은 도시의 오래되고 잊혀진 낡은 건물, 박물관에서 볼 수 있는 고대조각 혹은 너무나 익숙해서 기억에 남아있지 않은 거리의 일상을 바람, 불, 물, 나무 등 자연의 이미지와 함께 전혀 새로운 투명한 공간에 담아둔다. 

현실과 과거, 물질적인 것과 비물질적인 것, 자연과 사람이 하나의 공간으로 호출되고 예기치 않은 만남을 통해 새로운 풍경을 창조하는 작가의 사진조각은 실재하는 공간과 사물이 같은 공간 속으로 이동하면서 유동적이고 임의적인 이미지를 만들어내고 있다. 그리고 이렇게 임의적인 이미지를 담고 있는 고정되어 있는 투명한 입체는 관찰자로 하여금 공간과 대상을 보는 다양한 시각과 새로운 경험을 유도하는 것 같다. 거리를 배회하고, 먼 길을 쫓아 이미지를 채집한 후 OHP 필름에 사진 이미지를 프린트 하고 다시 얇은 아크릴 판에 필름을 열로 압착하여 이미지를 고정한다. 이미지를 덧입은 평면의 아크릴 판은 한 땀 한 땀 인두로 접합시키는 과정을 거쳐 집이나 사각의 박스 또는 부정형의 투명한 입체조각으로 완성된다. 

고명근의 사진조각은 공간과 대상을 보는 시각과 이미지를 다루는 작업이다. 작가가 사용하는 아크릴과 필름이 갖는 투명성은 포착된 이미지가 갖는 대상의 물성을 제거하고 물성이 제거된 사물은 보는 이의 방향에 따라 서로 그림자가 되어 중첩되면서 공간 속에서 환영(illusion)을 이루어낸다. 우리가 익히 알고 있던 대상은 다양한 시점과 관점 앞에서 낯설고 새로운 대상으로 다가오고 공간 속에서 맺는 관계 역시 이전 관계를 부정하고 새로운 만남을 만들어낸다. 그리고 이러한 시각 경험을 통해 우리가 알고 있는 것은 단지 이미지일 뿐이고 가지고 있는 것도 이미지일 뿐이라는 것을 깨닫게 된다. 감상자의 시각 경험을 넓혀나가고 이를 통해 아무런 선입견 없이 대상을 바라 볼 수 있게, 자유롭게 관계할 수 있도록 현실과 동떨어진 새로운 공간을 만들고 있는 고명근의 투명한 공간은 이미지에 대한 다각도의 관찰과 직접적인 접촉을 가능하게 한다. 그리고 이러한 방법으로 고명근은 현실과 비현실, 평면과 공간, 그리고 실재와 환영이 어떻게 관계하는지, 보는 것은 무엇이고 이미지란 무엇인지에 대한 질문과 답을 이어가고 있다. 

고명근(1965 ~ ) 작가는 서울대학교에서 조각을 전공하고 이후 뉴욕 프랫대학원에서 사진을 공부하였다. 두 개의 서로 다른 매체를 경험하면서 작업 속에서 두 매체가 만나는 새로운 접점을 시도해오고 있는 작가는 리안갤러리 개인전(2007)을 비롯 한미사진미술관, 김종영 미술관 등 국내 사진/조각 미술관에서의 개인전 그리고 미국 Frey Norris Gallery(San Francisco), Andrew Bae Gallery (Chicago), Tokyo Gallery (Tokyo) 등의 전시를 비롯 최근에는 부산 도시갤러리와 타이페이 루이뷔통 갤러리에서 개인전을 열며 국내/외에서 활발한 활동을 이어오고 있다. 

2007년 전시에 이은 리안갤러리에서의 두 번째 개인전_'공간을 보다'_에서는 자연이미지와 현대도시풍경을 배경으로 인물이 결합한 신작과 더불어 관객이 참여할 수 있는 큰 규모의 입체작품도 함께 발표할 예정이다.

큐레이터 김혜경

 

 

'Looking at the Space' is a keyword which reads the works of Koh, Myung-Keun. Photo sculpture of Koh, Myung-Keun which continues the work calling objects of three-dimensional structure such as buildings and sculpture in photo of flat surface and calling again compressed images in space puts old, forgotten and worn buildings of cities, ancient sculpture which you can see in museum or daily routine in the street which you are so accustomed to that it doesn't remain in your memory into entirely new transparent space together with the image of nature such as wind, fire, water and trees.

The photo sculpture of the author which summons the reality and past, things material and immaterial, nature and human to one space and creates new scenery through unexpected meeting is making fluid and arbitrary image while actual space and things move into the same space. And the transparent three-dimensional structure which contains arbitrary image like this and is fixed seems to be inducing various points of view and new experiences for observers to see space and objects. After loitering around the streets and collecting image going far away, he prints photo image on OHP film and again by pressing the film on thin acryl plate with heat fixes the image. The flat surface of acryl plate on which images are coated is completed into form of house or rectangular box or transparent three-dimensional sculpture of indeterminate form.

The photo sculpture of Koh, Myung-Keun is the work treating points of view to see space and objects and treating image. Transparency of acryl and film used by the author gets rid of property of matter of object which obtained image has, and things whose property of matter is gotten rid of, following the direction of viewers, becomes mutual shadows and are piled up one on another to make illusion in the space. 

The object which we are accustomed to approaches to us as an unfamiliar and new object before diverse point of time and view, and the relation we make in the space also denies previous relation and makes new meeting. And we realize that what we know through such sight experience is only images and what we have are also only images. Transparent space of Koh, Myung-Keun which is making new space far away from the reality so that it broadens sight experience of appreciators and through this they can see the object without any prejudice and they can freely make relations enables observation of image from various angles and direct contact. With this method Koh, Myung-Keun continues questions and answers about reality and unreality, flat surface and space and how reality and illusion are related, what to see is and what image is.

Koh Myung Keun (1965 ~) majored in sculpture at Seoul National University and later he studied photograph at Graduate School, Pratt Institute, New York. While experiencing two media different from each other, the artist is attempting new contact point where two media meet in the work continues to make live activities in domestic Korea and foreign countries opening private exhibitions in domestic photo/sculpture art galleries and Museums such as The Museum of Photography, Seoul and Kim, Chong Yung Sculpture Museum, Seoul including solo exhibition at Leeahn Gallery (2007) and including exhibitions at Frey Norris Gallery (San Francisco), Andrew Bae Gallery (Chicago) in the US, and at Tokyo Gallery (Tokyo) and recently opened solo exhibitions at DoSi Gallery, Busan and Louis Vuitton Gallery in Taipei.

In the second solo exhibition 'Looking at the Space' after exhibition in 2007, together with new work which combines character with the background of images of nature and contemporary cityscape he is supposed to announce large scale three-dimensional work which viewers can participate in.  

Curator HaeKyung Kim