Choi Ki-Seog’s sculpture is a projection in steel welding of the primal form of nature. His one man exhibition takes place in Gallery 2. On show are 16 columns 3 meters high with a surface of diverse patterns. This work is an extension of his 30year involvement in steel sculpture, with an extraordinary visual impact.

16 columns reaching to the ceiling

Choi has had two solo shows at Gallery 2. 104 cubes were placed on the floor in his 2008 exhibition, and globes were freely arranged in his 2010 show. 16 columns 3 meters high and 39 cm in diameter are set in this exhibition. While Choi involved concrete natural phenomena in his early pieces, since 2000 he has explored the fundamental form of nature. This exhibition is read as an extension of his recent trend, also constituting serial works of his previous work.

Diverse appearances rendered by the meeting of steel with fire

Choi intentionally excludes representational form in his sculpture to concentrate on fundamental elements. His work titles have always been Untitled. Pounding and welding steel, he reveals the physical property of steel and the trace of his artistic labor. He says soft iron is “a material that does not betray me”, meaning it retains changes through a process of forging in fire. Diverse patterns are found on the surface of the columns on show. The patterns are the diverse appearances of steel obtained by randomly repetitive actions like drawing lines or dots on a sketchbook.

Contemplating in the woods of steel

Through linked parts, the columns look like bamboo. The gigantic columns linking floor to ceiling go beyond viewer gaze. Using one material and working method for many years, Choi has raised and expanded fundamental issues about work and space, individual being, and the world.