Choi Won Gyu

Statement
 
 

From the Oblivion of Being 

​

Unfrequently, we go through life thinking of “the invisible” as “the nonexistent.” Clearly there are things that “exist” but do so under the condition of invisibility, so in life we “forget” these “existent entities.” What are the things that are everywhere but forgotten just because they are not visible? The oxygen-rich air we breathe, the white radiant light emitted by the light source we call the Sun, and the ultraviolet radiation that is not visible because of its shorter wavelength are a few examples. What about the kinetic energy possessed by an object or object system? They are not visible, yet they exist alongside us. For us to forget them despite their presence everywhere around us is the irony of the “perception of existence.”

​

The act of breathing is hardly different. Even though breathing is an essential act that sustains the life of an organism, we forget it just because it is so easily maintained. As a living thing constantly inhales and exhales using its mouth, nose, and lungs, just as it forgets the value of the invisible air, it also forgets about this “act of constant will aimed at sustaining life.” In my work 'breath' is such a thing. For my work, the irony of "recognition of existence" is based on "breath" and leads to a fundamental reflection on the life of human beings, starting from a gaze full of affection and compassion for real life, which is created in visual language.

The work begins by tracing the traces of forgotten breath. Such as a day of unknown old lady spent without a day at a some alley entrance, or looking into the story of a worker who lives every day buried in a red flash in a small factory where dust blows, and creating stories collected in the process as narratives to strengthen the foundation of creation. My work based on the installation work is completed by applying the by-products collected in the process of tracking life and sometimes the objects given to the subjects of the story—which contain their history—as the main material to form an imaginative scene. The object containing timeliness is a symbol of the "existence" of living in the present. The labour in the process of sorting waste byproducts into materials is also an important part of my work. This is because the 'existence of valueless' generated through primary transformation in the production process is applied to the work through several screening processes, and its value is also meaningful as a value confirmation process for 'exist but forgotten' stories.

"Traces of oblivion". I would like to collect such traces and apply them as materials for installational objects, and combine them into architectural elements to form a space to complete visual narratives and tell stories to people.

​

The various lives and values that exist within us to which "I" belongs. The art of talking about the present life in various life scenes. And art where i can talk about will and hope and check and share the value of life in a harsh and cold reality.

 

Through such a process, the process of confirming the existence of me as an individual living in the era, and this is the expectation and motivation to live as an artist.