Where did it come from pt.1: Seongjoon Hong

SEOJUNG ART is set to present Seongjoon Hong’s solo show, 《Where did it come from pt.1》 at its Busan location from May 11, 2024. The exhibition will continue with 《Where did it come from pt.2》 at the Seoul venue starting May 17, with both exhibitions running until June 28.

In his ongoing Layer series, Seongjoon Hong treats the canvas as a veil, chronicling numerous choices and divergences by archiving fragmented remnants. The upcoming exhibition extends this narrative, linking the urban landscapes and temporal spaces the artist has observed, interwoven from past to future as seen through his eyes.

Navigating through unpredictability, Hong has diligently reflected on the potential outcomes of his inquiries and variations. Although each choice and act seemed to momentarily divert, it became apparent that they were progressively converging. This exhibition is conceived as a visual and tactile representation of these accumulative contemplations.

The freshly unveiled series will present images such as feathers, air, and soap bubbles as forms that are both seen and felt. It highlights Hong's perspective of treating his artworks as waypoints rather than endpoints. By envisioning the resurrection of various materials—whether previously used or discarded—based on decisions about theme, material, technique, and realization, this process drives the momentum for ongoing artistic endeavors. These materials, leaving the realm of tactile reach and existing in weightlessness, wander and float within the exhibition space, symbolizing the intangible and evaporated thoughts.

Choices that once seemed opaque and burdensome now appear clear and light, capable of endlessly soaring and vanishing. The artist revisits the starting point, pondering whether this lightness represents merely discarded thoughts or himself, and he poses a new question. The exhibition space showcases this process of questioning and answering itself through elements like foil layers, aluminum, frames, canvases, leather, and paint clumps. These are manifestations of the artist’s explorations into the temporality of his craft. The artist has constantly pondered his thoughts and feelings, and how to paint these evolving questions, thereby adding layers of thought and doubt. Hong sees the materials shaped by sensation as a means to convey presence—transparent yet visible, soft yet tangible.

This exhibition is conceived to facilitate a conversation between the artist and the audience. Seongjoon Hong recalls how conversations can unexpectedly turn long-held contemplations into clear insights. He seeks dialogue as a method to navigate through periods of deep reflection. While it is impossible to halt the flow of time, it can be recorded, much like sending a letter or blending stories shared with many. This journey of finding clues and assembling narratives will resemble the crafting of a message intended for a recipient.