Linear Ground

Miran Park | Curator at Hakgojae Gallery

I see countless lines. The lines move forward in parallel without disrupting another’s territory. It is the movement of humble lines. Ji Keunwook’s lines dominate the picture screen in aligned repetition. The lines made relying on tools restrict the drawer’s autonomy. The passive process of drawing lines toward fixed directions even turns the artist’s labor into a tool. This endeavor, seeking perfection, continuously fails. The varying firmness of colored pencils and inconsistent pressure interact with each other and deposits fragments of unpredictability on the picture screen. The method that exposes limitations draws out a contradicting conclusion: One who draws flawless lines is merely a craftsman. Ji holds the tools of craft, and ceaselessly makes innumerable lines striving to become art.

The lines reveal the drawer’s gestures entirely. Even the slightest tremors capture emotions. Here, I recall Too Much Night, Again (2013), an installation work by contemporary artist Pae White (b. 1963, U.S.). White materializes the emotional experiences from her childhood using colored threads in this large-scale installation. Setting aside the resemblance in appearance, the fact that both artists chose to use an ‘uneven’ material, that is, colored pencils and thread is intriguing. The lines, with inconsistent fluffs that imply imperfection, are not smooth, thus organic and emotional. A drawing is an echo of the drawer. Ji’s Actual Dynamics (2016-2019) series is a record of a tenacious obsession to reach a vanishing point. The tightly balanced lines simultaneously work towards the objective. The picture screen manifests Ji’s attitude from his earlier days as an artist. The change in his recent work, Curving Paths (2019), is noticeable. The picture screen that introduces curved lines flexibly pulsates. Unlike the previous works that focus its weight on vanishing points, both concentration and dispersion occur extensively throughout the picture screen in his recent works. The artist’s change of mind may be inferred through the new structure that omits a destination and emphasizes continuity. The picture screen alludes to ceaseless waves, and vision corresponds to apparitions.

The lines are laid densely to form a surface-less ground; they do not amass in a particular place and silently set on the ground. The foundation is cruelly smooth like the surface of an ice rink, repeating the process of applying and grinding gesso to remove any bumps on the canvas. The artist solely draws lines on the indestructible ground. The artist’s persistence towards a refined picture screen through definite finish confines the desire for representation within the lines. It must be condensation, not contraction. Ji does not blindly trust his subjectivity and embraces coincidence within the scope of rules. As he relies on tools to make lines, he also sets guidelines for the usage of color. He makes samples in advance to compare various colors. This process is mapping intuition and preference, as well as an attempt to comprehend objectivity on the picture screen. Distinguishable colors nor coherent narratives are nowhere to be found on Ji’s linear ground. Erasing subjectivity, the artist leaves room for others to project themselves in the picture screen. One may embrace a greater world by emptying oneself.

I see countless lines, again. The fluffs on the lines moving silently under the compulsion of being uniform and straight, constantly catch my eyes. They are the vestige of the artist’s inevitable gestures, drawing yet another line with a different mind each time. Each line speaks through an innate voice; however, it is certainly not of an extrovert. It patiently endures time and repeatedly conveys meaning. We come upon the exquisite appeal from the representation pushed to as far as the entrance to the non-representational. This feeling must be one of the reasons that enable the artist’s labor to remain within the artistic sphere. Art that inspires does not emanate merely from vigorous expressions nor grand narratives. Art is, indeed, an echo of the artist.

Translated by Yoonsung Cho