SHIN GALLERY is pleased to announce the solo exhibition of the international artist Hyon Gyon Park, ‘Phantoms on Parade’ - on view September 27, 2013 to November 8, 2013.
Opening Night September 27, 2013 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Hyon Gyon Park was born and raised in South Korea, but moved to Japan to complete her studies in the early 2000s. Park received her BFA from Mokwon University in Mokwon, South Korea and her M.A. and Ph.D. at Kyoto City University of Arts in Kyoto, Japan. After witnessing a shamanistic ceremonial rite for her deceased grandmother, Park became fascinated by the way it helped ease the pain of those who were left behind. It was in Japan that she began exploring shamanism as her central motif.
Korean shamans are usually females, enlisted by those who want to reach the spirit world. Shamans hold gut, or services, in order to gain good fortune, to cure illnesses by exorcising negative or ‘bad’ spirits, and to guide spirits to higher realms. For Park, the act of art making is similar to the philosophy and the process of shamanism. Her oeuvre, therefore, includes both a performative and a structural component. The present show is a collection of masks created by burning layers of vibrant sateen and satin cloth on canvases. The artist uses a soldering iron to melt, burn, and layer the composite textiles to create 3-dimensional grotesque, yet mystically alluring faces. The artist believes it is more accurate to describe them to “spring out,” or “arrive.”
Hyon Gyon has exhibited her work in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Korea, Japan and the United States. Recent solo shows include a 2011 exhibition at the Kyoto Art Center in Kyoto, Japan and at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco in 2012. Her works are collected in prestigious institutions, such as the Kyoto Museum and the Takahashi Collection. She has been the recipient of many fellowships, including the 2012 Kyoto City Special Bounty of Art and Culture. This is Hyon Gyon’s second solo exhibition in the United States.
For additional information visit the Shin Gallery website.