Page 7 - 김혜진 조각전 2022. 9. 13 - 10. 15 한익환서울아트박물관

At times, as I come to the end of the long and intensive process of creating a stone sculpture, exhaustion leads me to

think that the sculpture could be the last one that I make. But on the nights when I am about to begin again, every time,
I sleep poorly, stirred by the intense emotion of facing a new stone. In the moment when I am about to make the first
marks with a chisel or grinder, I am even afraid of my hand ruining nature’s work of art, which is already so perfectly

beautiful in its original form.

As I sculpt the stone, I often think of gems. Gemstones are specific types of rare, precious minerals, but for me all stones
are gems.

Stone is a natural material of unique value and beauty that forms slowly over tens of millions of years. It is also a

material of endless possibility that contains all of the forms that I need and at times even suggests new ideas that I had
not imagined.
Even though it requires intensive effort and a very long working process, I continue to sculpt stone, perhaps because

I am captivated by its enchantment. As I watch the progressive transformation of the stone, I am driven to work

obsessively. With euphoria, I work to the point of “torturing” my hands, fed on the hope that eventually I will find the
surface or the form that I seek.
I think that the most important things in life are also dreams and hope. It is probably thanks to these capacities that we

can be happy, improve and move forward, overcoming suffering and difficult times.

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