“Foot and Moon”
Pearl Lam Galleries Hong Kong
Vernissage April 28
Hong Kong—Pearl Lam Galleries is pleased to present Foot and Moon, Korean artist Suki Seokyeong Kang’s first solo exhibition in Hong Kong, curated by David Ho Yeung Chan. Foot and Moon is a metaphor for the distance between two points: the one closest to us and the one furthest away. Utilising artworks of different media, Kang seeks to achieve an equilibrium by negotiating with the temporal and spatial characteristics of the artworks on view in the hope of reconciling our dissonant nature as human beings.
SUKI SEOKYEONG KANG b. 1977, Black Under Colored Moon, 2015, Full high definition color video with sound, Duration: 26 minutes
Kang (b. 1977, Seoul, Korea)investigates ancient philosophies and systems in her art. In particular, her recent works probe the concept of the Jeongganbo (), the earliest known Asian mensural system incorporating pitch and duration. Jeong (, Chinese character that represents a ‘well’ and resembles a grid composed of a set of squares) is a series of beats. Furthermore, Jeongganbo can be interpreted as individuals coming together to form a larger social collective. In essence, Jeong signifies a spirited vessel and focuses on how we come to terms with our physical movement as a result of our association with music.
Installed as a total ensemble that is almost an aesthetic experiment, this exhibition showcases fourteen artworks, including paintings, sculpture, and video. By stacking different shapes to form a series of free-standing sculptures, Kang questions the multiple layers of life. Fragments of memory are embodied in specific objects that illuminate moments of stasis through a repetitive process of intervention, collision, and negotiation.
Displayed on the first floor is a single-channel video work, Black Under Coloured Moon (2015), which corresponds to the installation of paintings and sculptures through choreography. In the video, two performers, a man and a woman, interact with a set of Jeong structures in varying sizes, taking part in a silent discourse. The work visualises the progression of a single day through four chapters, with each unfolding as a variation of movements that serve as a metaphor for the subtle exchanges that occur in an encounter or a parting. The sculptures, as displayed throughout the gallery, can be read as fragments from the history of civilisation with an iterative paradox. The recursive layers in Kang’s paintings symbolise the irregular rhythm created by the void between heterogeneous elements, while seemingly disparate segments possess comparative weights and volumes that gradually fill the frame. Audiences are encouraged to move selected artworks in order to provoke a new reading of the exhibition narrative in a more bodily and temporal manner.
Kang (b. 1977, Seoul, Korea)investigates ancient philosophies and systems in her art. In particular, her recent works probe the concept of the Jeongganbo (), the earliest known Asian mensural system incorporating pitch and duration. Jeong (, Chinese character that represents a ‘well’ and resembles a grid composed of a set of squares) is a series of beats. Furthermore, Jeongganbo can be interpreted as individuals coming together to form a larger social collective. In essence, Jeong signifies a spirited vessel and focuses on how we come to terms with our physical movement as a result of our association with music.
Installed as a total ensemble that is almost an aesthetic experiment, this exhibition showcases fourteen artworks, including paintings, sculpture, and video. By stacking different shapes to form a series of free-standing sculptures, Kang questions the multiple layers of life. Fragments of memory are embodied in specific objects that illuminate moments of stasis through a repetitive process of intervention, collision, and negotiation.
Displayed on the first floor is a single-channel video work, Black Under Coloured Moon (2015), which corresponds to the installation of paintings and sculptures through choreography. In the video, two performers, a man and a woman, interact with a set of Jeong structures in varying sizes, taking part in a silent discourse. The work visualises the progression of a single day through four chapters, with each unfolding as a variation of movements that serve as a metaphor for the subtle exchanges that occur in an encounter or a parting. The sculptures, as displayed throughout the gallery, can be read as fragments from the history of civilisation with an iterative paradox. The recursive layers in Kang’s paintings symbolise the irregular rhythm created by the void between heterogeneous elements, while seemingly disparate segments possess comparative weights and volumes that gradually fill the frame. Audiences are encouraged to move selected artworks in order to provoke a new reading of the exhibition narrative in a more bodily and temporal manner.
Curated by
David Ho Yeung Chan is a curator based in Hong Kong and Shanghai. With Pearl Lam Galleries, Chan has curated Lei Hong: Non-Geometric Study (2012), Tsang Kin-Wah: Ecce Homo Trilogy I (2012), Fictional Recoveries (2012), Su Xiaobai (2013), Déjà Disparu (2013), After Time (2014), Ren Ri: Yuansu Projects (2015), and Ni Haifeng: Asynchronous, Parallel, Tautological, et cetera… (2015), among others. He holds an MA from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College, New York, USA.
About Pearl Lam Galleries
Founded by Pearl Lam, Pearl Lam Galleries is a driving force within Asia’s contemporary art scene. With over 20 years of experience exhibiting Asian and Western art and design, it is one of the leading and most established contemporary art galleries to be launched out of China.
Playing a vital role in stimulating international dialogue on Chinese and Asian contemporary art, the Galleries is dedicated to championing artists who re-evaluate and challenge perceptions of cultural practice from the region. The Galleries in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Singapore collaborate with renowned curators, each presenting distinct programming from major solo exhibitions, special projects, and installations to conceptually rigorous group shows. Based on the philosophy of Chinese Literati where art forms have no hierarchy, Pearl Lam Galleries is dedicated to breaking down boundaries between different disciplines, with a unique gallery model committed to encouraging cross-cultural exchange.
The four branches of Pearl Lam Galleries in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore represent an increasingly influential roster of contemporary artists. Chinese artists Zhu Jinshi and Su Xiaobai, who synthesise Chinese sensibilities with an international visual language, are presented internationally with work now included in major private and public collections worldwide. The Galleries has also introduced leading international artists, such as Jenny Holzer, Leonardo Drew, Carlos Rolón/Dzine and Yinka Shonibare MBE, to markets in the region, providing opportunities for new audiences in Asia to encounter their work. Pearl Lam Galleries encourages international artists to create new work which engages specifically with the region, collaborating to produce thought-provoking, culturally relevant work.
