Page 22 - 상상속의로의 여행 2025. 5. 27 – 7. 20 권숙자 안젤리미술관

Art Critique, Professor Kwang-Myung Kim

An Aesthetic Exploration through ‘A Journey into Imagination’

Kwang-myung Kim(Professor Emeritus, Soongsil Univ. Aesthetics/Philosophy of Art)

This exhibition is held at the Kwon Sook-ja Angeli Museum(Period: May 27, 2025~July 20, 2025) as part of the ‘Regional Exhibition
Utilizing Museum Content’ category of the 2025 Regional Exhibition Activation Competition hosted by the Ministry of Culture,
Sports and Tourism and organized by the Arts Management Support Center through a matching between the International
Museum of Contemporary Art(Yeongwol, Director Chan-gap Park) and the Kwon Sook-ja Angeli Museum(Yongin, Director Sook-
ja Kwon). What is most closely related to artistic creation is the power of ‘imagination.’ Therefore, the work visualizing the ‘journey
into imagination’ that experiences newness beyond time and space is very meaningful. Here, sculptor Chan-kab Park exhibits
over 100 sculptures, installations, and Korean paper prints that deal with the identity of <Who Am I?> from the perspective
of human existence, as well as works by artist Sook-ja Kwon that contain aesthetic emotions and thoughts on ‘Nature and
Humanbeing.’ In addition, works by 45 artists from 33 countries around the world and 17 domestic artists are carefully selected
and displayed among the collections of the International Museum of Contemporary Art. The artists who represent each country
are as follows; Mickaël Bethe-Selassié(Ethiopia), Asdrúbal Colmenárez(Venezuela), Ted Carrasco(Mexico), Mauro Staccioli(Italy),
Jean-Claude Lambert(France), Czenslaw Podelsny(Poland) etc. Representative domestic artists include works by Roe-jin Jeon,
Bok-jin Min, and Seong-mun Hong etc., while invited artists from the Yeongwol and Yongin regions include works by Sook-ja
Kwon, Sun-hwa Jeong, Ji-na Yu, and Sang-bok Lee etc.

These artists choose a variety of materials and present themes that fit the spirit of the artist and the spirit of the times, inviting
us to go on a ‘journey into imagination.’ The aesthetic freedom and imagination that come from taking a walk through the
‘imagination’ are the driving force behind creating works of art. Art opens up a world of possibilities and enriches our present
lives. Imagination is the power to create new images that allow us to see the invisible. Imagination is fundamental to human
cognitive activity and lies at the foundation of human thought. Imagination expands our perception beyond the limits of space
and time, bringing the impossible into the realm of the possible. The world of imagination is always dynamic and pluralistic, so
artistic imagination expresses even things that cannot be specifically perceived or experienced. Through his works of art, the
artist opens up new horizons by enabling a ‘journey into imagination.’ In the work of art, we can go beyond our existing ordinary
lives, create a new daily life, and enjoy and experience it anew. Thus, the artist realizes the true nature of materials from everyday
life and nature, asks about their hidden meanings, and asks about their unique relationship with our lives. This is also the world
of desirable possibilities that we seek and pursue in the artist’s artistic world.

As seen in ‘xiaoyáoyóu(逍遙遊)’ of Zhuangzi and ‘yóuwuyì(遊於藝)’ of the Analects of Confucius, the essence of play, which is the
element that makes ‘journey into imagination’ possible, is to freely cross the boundaries of time and space. Play is the process of
infinitely expanding one’s world by using centrifugal force rather than centripetal force at the center of a solid world, reaching
various external worlds. The present is a time to recall and remember the past that has passed, while also anticipating the future
that has not yet arrived. Time is also associated with dynamic movement as an endless flow from the past through the present
to the future. Movement is inevitably related to the process of creation, growth, and extinction of all things that exist in the
phenomenal world. This is the time when life comes into play and begins to emerge. The time spent playing, which fills the space
of artistic creation, is a moment of self-affirmation, self-production, and self-expression.

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