Jukhee Kwon – The Lightness of a Moment

Nuova mostra personale dell’artista coreana Jukhee Kwon dal titolo The Lightness of a Moment, a cura di Tiziana Castelluzzo.

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La Galleria Patricia Armocida è lieta di annunciare la nuova mostra personale dell’artista coreana Jukhee Kwon dal titolo The Lightness of a Moment, a cura di Tiziana Castelluzzo.

Per l’occasione saranno presentate tre nuove grandi istallazioni e venti opere inedite di medie e piccole dimensioni.

“Per vivere, proprio come per nuotare, va meglio chi è privo di pesi, perché anche nella tempesta della vita umana le cose leggere servono a sostenere, quelle pesanti a far affondare.”
Apuleio

Il titolo “La leggerezza di un momento” è legato al concetto della natura momentanea del tempo, formato da lampi che scorrono uno dopo l’altro. Il momento non ha né passato né futuro, è “leggero”. I libri utilizzati da Jukhee Kwon sono libri antichi, abbandonati o inutilizzati, legati ad un’epoca passata ma che, trasformati, diventano oggetti senza tempo.

Le maestose installazioni intrise di memorie pervadono gli spazi della galleria ed invitano lo spettatore ad un’esperienza più che ad una semplice contemplazione. Esse sono il risultato di un lungo e laborioso processo fatto di gesti ripetitivi che diventano per l’artista a poco a poco automatici e lievi, come il respiro. Ogni taglio ed ogni azione sul libro hanno per Jukhee Kwon il significato di un atto performativo che, se pur nascosto allo spettatore, è percepito dallo stesso nella complessità dell’opera finita.

L’osservatore viene attratto dalle sue sculture e si avvicina ad esse per scorgere una frase, un’immagine o per capire come sia stata possibile una tale trasformazione per poi lasciarsi guidare dalla nuova forma assunta dal libro. Contrariamente al procedimento, minuzioso, dettagliato e preciso, il lavoro finito assume forme piene e vigorose che rappresentano un sentimento di libertà e di movimento. L'atto di decostruzione del libro libera ogni pagina nello spazio emancipandolo dalla sua forma e dal suo scopo originale e sfida la percezione che lo spettatore ha di questo oggetto di uso quotidiano.

Jukhee Kwon è nata a Dae-Jun in Corea del Sud nel 1981 e attualmente vive e lavora a Grottaferrata (RM). Ha studiato Fine Arts presso la Chung-Ang University in Corea e ha conseguito un Master of Arts presso il Camberwell College of Arts di Londra. L’artista ha esposto nel Regno Unito, in Francia e in Corea. Ha preso parte a progetti speciali quali Dipping into Darkness, Asia House, Londra 2016; The Book of Galileo, Asia House, Londra 2014; Arabesque Dream, Abu Dhabi Art, Beyond Sector, United Arab Emirates 2016 e ha partecipato alla conferenza “Focus on Asia”, New York Book Art Fair 2012. Il suo lavoro fa parte della collezione del Victoria&Albert Museum di Londra.

Tra le mostre personali ricordiamo: Metamorphosis, Ierimonti Gallery, New York, 2018; Objecthood, a cura di Tiziana Castelluzzo, Galleria Patricia Armocida, Milan, 2017; Jukhee Kwon, October Gallery, Londra 2013; Being, La Scatola Gallery, Londra 2012; Inside-Out, Camberwell College of Arts Library, Londra 2011; Illustration works, Illustration Studio Space, LondRA, 2010; Tree to Tree, Seorabul Gallery, Corea 2004.

Tra le collettive: Art Verona Fair, Galleria Patricia Armocida, Verona, 2019; Dream No Small Dream: 40 Years of the Transavangarde, October Gallery, London, 2019; Present Moment, October Gallery, London, 2019; Please, return to Busan Port, CHOI&LAGER, Cologne, 2016; Solchi letterari, Museo Scuderie Aldobrandini, Frascati 2016; Have a Good Day, Mr. Kim!, Michael Horbach Foundation in collaborazione con Choi & Lager Gallery, Colonia 2015; Art 15, Freedom Audit, October Gallery, Londra 2015; Malfunction Library, Seoul Museum of Art, Corea 2014; Presents, Choi & Lager Project, Parigi 2014; Art 14, October Gallery, Londra 2014; Journeys, TEA for THREE project, Berlino 2013; Rock, Paper and Scissors, TEA for Three project, Milano 2013; The secret garden, Choi & Lager Project, Parigi 2013; Art Dubai, Dubai 2013; Scope Basel, October Gallery, Basilea 2013; The world of Extraordinary Objects, October Gallery, Londra 2013; A Korean Eye, Choi & Lager project, Parigi 2012; The Map of Korea, 5th 4482 Korean Exhibition, Barge House Gallery, Londra 2012.

Galleria Patricia Armocida is pleased to announce a new solo show by the Korean artist Jukhee Kwon titled The Lightness of a Moment, curated by Tiziana Castelluzzo.

This show will include three new large installations and twenty previously unshown small and medium format works.

“It is with life just as with swimming; that man is the most expert who is the most disengaged from all encumbrances. Just the same way, amid the stormy tempests of human life, that which is light tends to our buoyancy, that which is heavy, to sink us.”
Apuleius

The title, “The Lightness of a Moment”, speaks to the fleeting nature of time, formed by flashes that flow one after another. The moment does not have a past or a future, it is “light”. The books used by Jukhee Kwon are antique, abandoned, or unused, tied to a past era but transformed into timeless objects.

The majestic installations steeped in memories pervade the gallery and invite viewers to experience rather than merely contemplate. They are the fruit of a long and laborious process made up of repetitive gestures that, for the artist, slowly become as automatic and free as breathing. For Jukhee Kwon, each slice and action on the book becomes a performance that, although unseen by the viewer, is projected through the complexity of the finished piece.

The viewer is attracted to her sculptures and approaches to make out a sentence, an image, or to understand how such a transformation is possible, and is then guided by the book’s new form. Unlike the process which is meticulous, detailed, and precise, the finished piece takes on full and vigorous forms that allude to a feeling of freedom and movement. The act of deconstructing the book releases each page into space, freeing it from its form and its original purpose, challenging the perception the viewer has of this everyday object.

Jukhee Kwon was born in Dae-Jun, South Korea in 1981 and is currently living and working in Grottaferrata, Rome. She studied fine arts at Chung-Ang University in Korea and holds an MA from Camberwell College of Arts, London. She has exhibited internationally in the UK, France, and Korea. She participated in special projects such as: Dipping into Darkness, Asia House, London 2016; The Book of Galileo, Asia House, London 2014; Arabesque Dream, Abu Dhabi Art, Beyond Sector, United Arab Emirates 2016, and participated in the conference “Focus on Asia”, New York Book Art Fair 2012. Her work is part of the Victoria & Albert Museum collection in London.

Among her last solo exhibitions: Metamorphosis, Ierimonti Gallery, New York, 2018; Objecthood, curated by Tiziana Castelluzzo, Galleria Patricia Armocida, Milan, 2017; Jukhee Kwon, October Gallery, London 2013; Being, La Scatola Gallery, London 2012; Inside-Out, Camberwell College of Arts Library, London 2011; Illustration works, Illustration Studio Space, London, 2010; Tree to Tree, Seorabul Gallery, Korea 2004.

Among her last group exhibitions: Art Verona Fair, Galleria Patricia Armocida, Verona, 2019; Dream No Small Dream: 40 Years of the Transavangarde, October Gallery, London, 2019; Present Moment, October Gallery, London, 2019; Please, return to Busan Port, CHOI&LAGER, Cologne, 2016; Solchi letterari, Museo Scuderie Aldobrandini, Frascati 2016; Have a Good Day, Mr. Kim!, Michael Horbach Foundation in collaboration with Choi & Lager Gallery, Cologne 2015; Art 15, Freedom Audit, October Gallery, London 2015; Malfunction Library, Seoul Museum of Art, Korea 2014; Presents, Choi & Lager Project, Paris 2014; Art 14, October Gallery, London 2014; Journeys, TEA for THREE project, Berlin 2013; Rock, Paper and Scissors, TEA for Three project, Milan 2013; The secret garden, Choi & Lager Project, Paris 2013; Art Dubai, Dubai 2013; Scope Basel, October Gallery, Basel 2013; The world of Extraordinary Objects, October Gallery, London 2013; A Korean Eye, Choi & Lager project, Paris 2012; The Map of Korea, 5th 4482 Korean Exhibition, Barge House Gallery, London 2012.