Page 9 - 장범순 개인전 2023. 10. 11 - 10. 16 인사아트프라자갤러리

This conceptual method creates a degree of alienation or distance between the painting and
viewer that ensures communication takes place through cognitive judgement and interpretation
rather than emotion.

What remains on Jang's canvas is the domination of the “have-nots” by the “haves” through an
imbalance of power and capital, the absurdity of discrimination, exclusion and violence, the unfair
rules of the game, and the desperate situation of the underdog “squid”. Just as the heavy content
and nihilistic humour of "Squid Game" portrays the inverted reality of the "underdogs" of our time,

Jang’s work, through his examination of such injustices, reveals the contradictions of the current
world in a humorous way. Jang does not, however, directly borrow material from the film or
transfer it in a naturalistic narrative style. Instead, while referencing events in the series through
kitsch elements such as costumes and props in primary colours, Jang adopts a more generalised

interpretation by using ironic cartoon-like situations, flat characterisation and maintaining the
anonymity of the main and supporting characters.
“Squid Game Respect” pulls off a smooth transition from the original work’s suspenseful narrative
of violence to light pop art. The gruesome scenes in "Squid Game" are played out by androgynous

cartoon-like electronic entertainment characters. This brings about a level of fear reduction from
something 'occult', which directly causes fear through the senses, to that of a 'gory fairy tale'. The
idea is to allow the audience to more easily absorb the content in a more relaxed state without
tension. This allows the subject matter to be communicated more clearly in a cognitive rather than

sensual manner.
Perhaps it is Jang's gentle nature and his dislike of violence and the grotesque that removes the
visible physical violence of the original work, or perhaps it is an attempt to elicit empathy from
a wider range of viewers through the artist’s own kindness and consideration (in this way, Jang

differs from other painters who create more subjective or expressive works). The works can thus
be considered an attempt to extend the "Squid Game" narrative using an independent visual style.

In any case, Jang’s quest to meta-parody “Squid Game” as part of his post-retirement work seems

a worthwhile activity. Although he borrows some of the content and mise-en-scene from the
original, he has managed to add his own personal criticism of contemporary society and culture
using his own visual style, while crossing the boundary between the genres of graphics and
painting. I sincerely hope that he will continue to attempt such bold new paintings as ambitiously

as he does now.