Artist Statement
“Because it is empty anything becomes possible.”
'공간' literally can be translated as 'empty between' in Korean. In the 'empty between', we co-exist. Here, people create their own spaces, each experiencing and responding differently. This is where my artistic practice had started and has developed from.
Initially I try to recreate ‘space’ on flat surfaces. This appears as straight lines, shapes and colours. Straight lines drawn with an architecture ruler look like shattered glass or fallen leaves in the autumn afternoon. However they seemingly have their own logic- or patterns- as if someone has tried to build a structure with broken bricks. This idea could align with my personal experience living overseas in Melbourne, as I tried to build my own ‘comfort space’ in an unfamiliar space.
However my desire to create the perfect space ultimately is an impossible goal. The self-belief of creating a perfect painting is distorted by simple mistakes, such as brush marks and pencil marks. These are very natural mistakes made by hand and represent myself and my human limitations. Therefore painting by hand has become one of the most important elements of my practice, where it feels as though we are no longer allowed to make mistakes in modern society.
I find similarities between the repetition of self-believing and making mistakes resemble the streets of Seoul. Assuming that I know every corner of the city just because it’s where I was born and grew up, Seoul always gives me a new corner which I never expect to encounter. The city constantly grows and changes. Which leaves me the question, can you truly believe your perception of this world?
Wall knitting : Sucemi
This series of installation work had started as a temporal public installation in korea, 2006. It was a site specific work, as the place where it had installed was underground subway station which was near the famous market for knitting goods. Thus I decided to use this glittery-neon colour threads to create the work. It's called 'Sucemi thread' which is used in knitting washing clothes (sucemi). People often knit washing clothes with this threads which they create in many different designs, even in tiny Hanbok (Korean traditional costume). For mothers and families in their kitchen it can represent their individual personalities, like a form of creative expression which also serve a use.
Through the Sucemi series, it was interesting to see how something so simple has been involved in everyone's lives. Especially I loved to see Ajummas (Korean Mrs., usually used for referring to married ladies) when they found out that the work is made with something they use every day. I always been wondering about a role of artist in society and this pure reaction of audiences had inspired me. Since then, whenever I had opportunities to have empty walls, I tried to include this work, not only done by myself but with audiences to explore more unexpected possibilities.
For "Perception" I'd like to invite the audience to participate in the show. They will be given Sucemi threads and create their own thread paths on the wall. I'd like them to feel the roughness of the thread, where it came from and how it originally used. I would like this work to be born newly according to the different walls and be enjoyed by different people, not only to be recorded in photos and forgotten.
Yuna Chun is a Korean born artist based in Seoul and Melbourne.
Exhibition Details:
Opening Friday, October 12th 6-9pm
Exhibition runs Oct 10-27th
Arcade Project Space
Suite 2, level 1 / 119 Hopkins St Footscray
