HONG Sung-Chul

1969 born in Seoul, Korea
1994 B.F.A., Sculpture, Hong-ik University, Seoul, Korea
1996 M.F.A., Sculpture, Hong-ik University, Seoul, Korea
2001 M.F.A., Integrated Media, Californis Institute of the Arts, CA, USA
   
lives and works in Seoul, Korea
   
   
Solo Exhibitions - selection
   
2011 Davis KLemm Gallery, Frankfurt, Germany
2010 Erhard Witzel Gallery, Wiesbaden, Germany
2008 Anxiety and Dynamics of Incompleteness, Kring, Seoul, Korea
2007 Youngeun Artist Relay_Sungchul Hong , Youngeun Museum of Contemporary Art, Gyeonggido Kwangju, Korea
2002 RGB_SHOW, Kumho Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea
2001 String Tongue, CalArts, LA, USA
2000 White Cube, CalArts, LA, USA
   
   
Group Exhibitions since 2002 - selection
   
2010 Multi effect, Gallery IHN, Seoul, Korea
2009 From Yeonhui-dong, YHD Projects, Seoul, Korea
2008 Unusual One, Lobby of Hana Bank Head Office, Seoul, Korea
  Contemporary Korean Photographs 1948-2008, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Gwacheon, Korea
  Your Mind's Eye_Digital Spectrum, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul Korea
  Youngeun 2008 Residency & Open Studio, Youngeun Museum of Contemporary Art, Gyeonggido Kwangju, Korea
2007 Text in Bodyscape, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea
  Look & See, Kumho Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea
2005 R-mutation, Seoul Arts Center, Seoul, Korea
  Korean Contemporary Sculpture of Citizen, Jebiwool Museum, Gwachein, Korea
 

Between, Contemporary Art Museum of Hongik University   

  Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart, Stuttgart, Germany
2004 Contemporary Art Video & Installation, Daegu Art Center, Daegu, Korea
  Korea Contemporary Sculpture Association, Jinhae Culture Street, Jinhae, Korea
  Soul & Bowl, Gallery IHN, Seoul, Korea
  Alternative Realities, EMAF, Ewha Women's University, Seoul, Korea
2003 Fake & Fantasy, Art Center Nabi, Seoul, Korea
  Charity-Presidetn, Ssamziespace, Seoul, Korea
  Vision 21, Sungshin Women's University, Seoul
  Window of Communication-Uijeongbu International Media Art
  Beauty, Sungkok Art Museum, Seoul, Korea
  I, You, Us, Sungkok Art Museum, Seoul, Korea
  Dreamy Hive, Daling Art Foundation, Seoul Korea
2002 The 2nd Seoul International Media Art Biennale, Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea
  Alchemy, Sungkok Art Museum, Seoul, Korea



The theme running deep in Hong’s work is “communication among beings” in an broad context. So far, Hong tried “communication among beings” based on different subjects and media. In his latest works, Hong returned to an original form of communication: Strings. To Hong, strings mean the point at which basic desire for communication meet, which he felt from misunderstandings and shortage of relation. Strings engage in darning and attaching. Human beings start their social life when disconnected from mother’s umbilical cord at birth. It is noteworthy that those strings serve as a medium and a hand is an object of image the artist wants tell us through that medium.

 





Blick in die Ausstellung "Strings & Stripes" 10.06. bis 09.07.2010 Galerie Erhard Witzel






 

In his string artworks, Hong tried to unveil the defectiveness of media which seemingly recapture the reality, but, in effect, media distort the fact and degrade it to the virtual object. He went further by leaving the final image incomplete. As a result, when viewers see images on the layers of strings, they start interacting with his work in order to finish the work by filling out incomplete space. This is the reason why anyone who faces his work comes to move as if they dance. It is very impressive to see that a series of interactions in his works ultimately show order in imperfection, which is similar to reconstruction of blurry images. Moreover, a symbolic contrast of anxiety and dynamic is also intriguing.

(Yoon Du hyun)