randian | 燃点

Fabrik Gallery is proud to present two unique perspectives of beauty and nature articulated through the works of acclaimed Korean artists, Jeong Myoung Jo and Park Ji-Sook, from Thursday May 26 to Thursday June 30, 2016. Collectors and art enthusiasts are welcome to join the opening from 6.30pm on Thursday, May 26th.

JEONG MYOUNG JO
Beauty is the underlying theme of Jeong Myoung Jo’s hyperrealistic depictions of women in traditional Korean finery, the Hanbok of the Joseon Dynasty. The opulent gold, black or calligraphic backgrounds in Jeong’s paintings express at once the subject’s desires as well as her suppression. Gold patterns refer to the privileged class of women in royal households while black symbolizes either the subject’s deeper psychological state or, as some critics argue, “the culture of black or white homogeneity” of Korean society. Narrative poems in Chinese script refer to the male-dominated literati class of ancient Korea. The hidden beauty of the woman faceless, ornate and regal belies the truth of her emotional inner self. She is the paradox of faceless femininity against a masculine world.

Born in 1970 in South Korea, Jeong received a B.F.A. and an M.F.A., both from Hongik University, as well as completing the Fine Arts doctoral program there in 2003. The artist’s creative process begins with a model photographed in the statement Hanbok, after which the image is then brought to life on canvas using a hyperrealistic approach. With some works taking up to four months to complete, the artist produces between 7 to 10 pieces a year. Jeong’s works have been exhibited in solo and group shows in South Korea, Germany, the Netherlands and Israel, in addition to being sold out at the Dubai Art Fair. Her works are among the collections of many corporate entities and institutions, such as the Amore Pacific Group, the Hansol Foundation and the GANA Art Collection. The artist’s works have been popular at auction including at Sotheby’s and Seoul Auction.

PARK JI-SOOK
Park Ji-Sook expresses the intrinsic relationship of humans and nature within the dynamic circulating energy of life. Her striking series of organic and linear motifs represent the interwoven lines of life, endless connections between body and nature, on the universal continuum of birth, death and rebirth. Natural processes such as breathing and circulation found in organic forms are gently rendered on canvas as a galaxy of circuitous intersecting fronds emanating from multiple centres of life. Similarly, Park’s works of lines and dots continue the life-cycle concept – linear sprouts bursting from innumerable seeds, converging and overlapping, growing then dying. The artist’s abstract works reminds us of our interconnectedness with the order of nature – “We human beings live in the nature and recognize our existence and human life through nature.”

Born in 1963, Park received her Ph.D., M.F.A. and B.F.A. from Hongik University in Seoul and is currently a professor in the Arts Education department at Seoul National University of Education. Working with pencil, pen or ink in combination with acrylic, the artist believes in dynamic creative freedom- allowing the network of lines, dots and organic forms to flow freely onto her canvas. Park has presented her work at over 52 solo shows and at over 300 group exhibitions throughout Asia, Europe and the USA. Her works are in the collections of many organizations including: the National Hyundai Museum, the Hongik University Museum of Contemporary Art and the Sungkok Art Museum as well as the corporate collections of Siemens, Daewoo Motors and Lego Korea.