Heroic Gravity 2007
Sympathized with the Figures and Personalized into Its Stores
There was something frail and something sorrow about her works. Strong figures were exposed just as they were and set inside of the stage. When I first saw Kwak, Yunjoo’s portfolio, the techniques she used for her photograph left me a harsh and strong impression. Figures such as a woman with suture marks on her skin (Lost in Desire, 2004) and circus midgets born with physical defects (7dwarfs, 2005) were chosen for her full-length portrait photos based on their physical condition. At the last part of the portfolio, there were girls in Korean traditional dress. They were wearing heavy makeups on their faces, and it seemed like that their facial muscles were pulled upward. They were extraordinarily bright and fresh looking.
Kwak, Yunjoo is taking pictures of people. The figures that she chooses for her work are another Kwak, Yunjoo herself. Kwak sees something in common with herself and the subjects, feels sympathy for it, then she cannot but accept them. The complex and self-respect that she feels, her way of life, and the times that she has lived in are reflected on the figures whom she chosen for her works. Now, she becomes the subject, and the subject becomes herself. Kwak started this with works showing dreadful scars on her skin using special makeup effects used for film making. By then, the way of showing the scars within herself was rather rough. One day, she happened to meet Russian dwarfs who had joined in a circus troupe taking advantages of their own physical traits and felt like being one of them. She felt great empathy with them. Watching herself reflected on the subjects, Kwak asks about her raison-d’être, the reason why she was born and is living in the world.
Thinking that she is not only one in her kind. Through the objects chosen for works, we could imagine the journey of her mind that she has gone through. The subject matter that Kwak chose for next works to continue her story was young Korean dancers. She said that she first had seen the girls majoring in Korean traditional dance in Ye-won Art School three years ago. She was so fascinated that she started to taking pictures of them. Young dancers standing on the stage were captured by the large size camera. Their beautiful body and correct postures trained by physical practices were exposed by the artist who admires them. With the girls dancing with simple passion for art not knowing the hardships of the outside world, Kwak is making her own portrait. The girls have superior physical conditions to ordinary people which helped them start majoring in dance at early ages. Kwak might have felt something in common with the girls, their pursuit of dreams, their innocence, frail and childlike appearance, and the essential narcissism they have. Even with the beautiful body, these young dancers are discontented with certain parts of their body and hoping to make improvements like ordinary young girls in their age. Among her recent works, the photos of group dance or solo dance seem stiff and rigid. Perhaps, she might have intended to focus on the ‘girls’ in motion rather than on the ‘motions’ the girls are taking. In the same context, the portraits displayed in the present exhibition show the girls not wearing makeups. The artist was trying to contain the natural looks and lively atmosphere of them. These young dancers always watch mirrors and correct their looks and posture. They are willing to do the painful physical training striving to be as light as the air. The essence of Korean traditional dance they are pursuing desperately like this is the so-called Korean emotion, “Han.” It is the spirit generated from Korean way of life and energy of the soil. It ripens in the dancers’ knees and sprout out towards the sky. If we could say that it is the emotion of Korean dance to solve the problems inside and all alone not confronting them directly, Kwak, who says that “I like Korean dance not other kinds of dance,” might have chosen the subject, girls majoring Korean dance, because she liked the depth and emotion of Korean dance.
Another work displayed in this exhibition is the printed fabric drapes and installed on the wall of Brain Factory. Narrow and long drapes about 2 meters long are similar to the clothes used in Korean traditional dance called ‘Salpuri.’ In general, the content of ‘Salpuri’ that a woman performs trying to sublimate the sorrow emotions called “Han” is sad and depressed. However, in the present exhibition, the dancer being removed, only the draperies are making light and cheerful movements. Centered, scattered, and sprayed out into the air, all kinds of movements which might disappear as the time goes by in real dance, got together and shows group dance visually on the wall. Printed installation which the artist started to overcome the structural limitation of photography that the framing gives has a thread of connection with the essence of ‘Salpuri’ which silently challenges the physical limitations and situations. Through the visual collection of smooth and resilient fabric drapes, the motions of body which try to spout out the crystallized energy inside oneself are flying freely and brightly in the air resisting against gravity.
Heroic Gravity, installtion view, ink jet print on the wall, variable size, Brain Factory, Seoul, 2007
Now the puzzles of her story seems to be completed. The story that has been going on so far was put together in the present exhibition and finalized with the plain faced dancers with no makeups. From the lady who had deep scars to cute little ordinary girls, Kwak had long journey to recover. Hoping that she would overcome her disability since she was very young as a deaf, wishing that she could make her next big step as an wonderful artist in the future.
- Oh Sook-jeen (Director, Brain Factory)
