Confessions After Taking Off the Armor

He mentioned that he was effortlessly drawing. It was he who proposed narrative drawings in his first solo exhibition and paintings on various superficial slogans of society in his second. It’s about time he should again begin proposing whatever he’s been preparing until now, but effortlessly drawing? That was an unexpected blow behind the head. Isn’t it he who presented the ambitious title(subtitle, to be correct), “Art is All About Accumulated Power.” He complemented that he was able to have a whole new vision upon what he drew and what he is drawing while looking back on his life. It came to him that his job began because of revenge about something. Here, a brief format of this solo exhibition begins to take shape. Drawings without effort, yet based upon revenge. But revenge without effort? That’s quite an odd one. 

What preparations are needed for a successful revenge? As it is said in old sayings, “Know thy enemy and know thyself, and thy battles shall be victorious.” First, you need to know where and who to point your sharpened sword at. He pointed out that his revenge is towards those who brought psychological wounds at him, certain people, groups, or giant social systems. Now that he knows who his targets are, he should decide on how to get his revenge. Also, he should train and prepare himself more strongly than the opponents as much as possible. “Good” works should be strong armor to him as an artist. But on the contrary, he’s willing to remove even that armor, regarding that this is not the armor he wants to wear. What’s the matter with that armor?

He’s learned that works with narrative, sarcastic, or metaphorical devices poking the dark sides are ‘good’ works. He focused his works on such teachings to be a ‘good’ artist making ‘good’ works. But that wasn’t so pleasant. Is it necessary to add something grandiose to his works which he draws every day like a diary? Is it that impossible to make ‘good’ works without poking sarcastically? With these doubts and skepticism, he decides to take off the burdensome armor that once protected him and relax his shoulders.

Without his armor and the strength in his shoulders, all that’s left is just himself. Now, he slowly looks around at what is left of himself. All that’s left is his experiences and feelings, happiness and pleasure in drawing, and distress in it. All the injustice, resentment, and age-old wounds unsolved in the past jut out in atypical flowing brushstrokes and the wrinkled clumps resembling loose brains (Study for Revenge). Places where he was traumatized appear intermittently on the canvas with simple lines and planes(89°-1993-01~04, Three Choices). There is nothing narrative and no aspects of digging up the dark sides. Although it’s tough drawing what’s inside himself, it’s better that way. He frankly confesses that this is the motive that constantly makes him move his brush and pen.

With him knowing both his opponents and himself, he stands on a new starting line. Perhaps he may be frightened. Whether or not he succeeds in his revenge by drawing out each and every one of his thoughts and feelings plainly like a diary, and whether or not such drawings he makes become ‘good’ works, that’s what’s to be decided after the long, long race. Remember the artist starting that difficult race, Song Mingyu.

By Ju Eunjung