Bulgyegongjol

‘bulgyegongjol(不計工拙)’ means, quite literally, to not consider good or bad. This is originally the seal of Chusa Kim Jeong-hee, one of Korea’s most notable masters of calligraphy. ‘bulgyegongjol’ is no gong (工) or jol (拙), high or low, good or bad. There is no ‘hierarchy’ in art. By chance or by fate, the five artists of this exhibition share this view of ‘bulgyegongjol’. Some may judge such individuality to be ‘odd(怪)’, but through the eyes of ‘bulgyegongjol’, this is nothing but positive. The letter ‘괴(怪)’ means to be strange and bizarre, possibly perceived negatively, but upon closer examination of its composition, one may discover a peculiar tingle of glee within it. It is the combination of the characters for mind (心) and strive (圣), as if one is piling sand with their bare hands. Without purpose or an object to portray, just to endlessly pile sand like a child. The act of the child, the world of the child, the art of the child - this is what we can call ‘odd(怪)’ and gladly welcome this moment as the child’s individuality. The five artists show their ‘oddity(怪性)’ in each of their own ways. Long before the beginning of the exhibition, these five people have been piling sand, so in what shape and form will we see them as they are and recognize their ‘oddity’? Let us see this exhibition as a playground, and all of us are here to see our new friends in the making, curiously holding out a happy hand to play. Kim Bomi (b.1998) primarily uses the properties of water in her painting to visually represent the uncertainty inherent in human life and the relationships between birth, love and death. Through symbols such as fountains, water pipes, patterns and amniotic fluid, she reveals the artificiality of water flow, which seems to be constantly flowing and circulating but inevitably has a certain direction. By observing the flow of water, the artist metaphorically suggests that human life, which flows softly yet remains stagnant at times, possesses qualities similar to those of water.