The Cacophony of Things, Materiality and Disorder

This report reflects on the progression of my creative pursuits and graduate studies in England following my BA Korean painting in South Korea. The report’s primary focus is on the three-year span of the University of East London's Professional Doctorate in Fine Art, detailing how my personal experiences and memories have been translated into sculptures and installations exploring the theme of disharmony and disorder. My artistic exploration has taken on novel forms as I extend my creative activities to include photography, sculpture, and spatial dimensions, transcending traditional genres, materials, methods of expression, and the absolute volume and density associated with painting. While studying Karla Black, I investigated the significance of her material selection and abstract approaches. The works of Phyllida Barlow ignited a passion within me to consistently challenge the beauty I aim to express, prioritizing personal aesthetics over conventional standards of beauty. I consistently pose inquiries about the spatial aspects of my work, contemplating the extension of painting beyond the confines of the canvas frame. The direction of my artistic pursuits is guided by Jacques Derrida's Parergon logic. I do not distinguish between the outside and the inside, but pursue a transformed frame that is not fluid. I aim to accentuate disorder and materiality through the use of fabric and wood, Korean paper and cotton, metal, and photography work, highlighting the dissonance between two elements that inherently do not harmonize. Throughout the three-year Professional Doctorate process, I allow my work to be shaped by my personal vision while deliberately excluding predetermined forms and a priori orders. This has allowed my work to explore the paradoxes of materiality, and to be shaped by aesthetics of disharmony and disorder.