18 Jul 2012

Suh Jeong Min at JanKossen Contemporary, Basel

A solo show of new works by the Korean artist Suh Jeong Min shall be exhibited for the first in Basel at the JanKossen Contemporary Gallery, in Basel Switzerland.

Suh is known for his elegant and somewhat imposing works that are neither painting nor sculpture, yet have properties of both. These artworks share the characteristic of raised surfaces with wall-relief sculpture, yet are diffusely coloured and patterned, like painting.

Suh builds up each artwork through an accumulation of discrete units of hanji paper – made from the inner bark of Mulberry trees – into rolled into tubes or overlaid so that they resemble thin blocks of wood. However, it is in the unseen core of the paper units that Suh's artwork generates its unique properties, for each scrap of paper comes from other artists' discards. Traditional calligraphy and literati ink paintings on paper scrolls are cut up to make the paper units, and so their origin as artworks in their own right is subsumed into Suh work, like individuals gathered into a society. 
The edges of some of SUH's works have readable snippets of hangeul, the Korean language, suggesting signage or captions, although they probably function more as abstract forms placed randomly.

Suh differs from Western artists who use mass manufactured items in their works, by choosing paper scrolls, which arise from traditional Asian artistic practices, as well as being handmade rather than manufactured. Another key difference is that Suh's work does not stem from popular culture per se, but from the deeper currents of traditional culture made relevant to a contemporary audience through a transformation of materials, as mentioned earlier.

For some viewers, Suh's artwork will arouse curiosity about Korean culture through its attractive, tactile surfaces, while others more familiar with his materials will find themselves rediscovering these materials in new and unexpected ways.