또 다시 틀 밖으로 And Again, Out of Frame

 

 

 

 

 

2014년 이준형은 이제껏 자신이 작업한 회화 작품의 캔버스와 나무 프레임을 분해한다. 그리고 그 나무 프레임으로 뗏목을 만들고 단신으로 한강을 건넌다. 이번 HRD Fine Arte에서 선보이는 그의 ‘Out of Frame’은 2014년 한강을 도강하며 얻은 이미지들을 최근 다시 먹으로 그린 작업으로 당시의 도전을 환기하고 작가 자신의 예술적 태도를 돌이켜 보는 작업이다.

 

이준형은 예전 Chapter11 연작을 통해 대상의 순간적인 긴장 상태를 포착해 화면에 옮기는 회화 작업을 진행했다. 다이빙 선수가 수면을 향해 몸을 던졌을 때의 얼굴 표정, 팔 다리 등 신체 부분 부분에 깃든 긴장감을 흘러내리는 묽은 물감으로 빠르게 표현했다. 작가의 다른 프로젝트인 Portrait는 빠르고 과감한 붓질로 인물의 감정을 드러내려는 듯 사람들의 표정을 그려낸다. Made in Heaven 연작 또한 찰나의 쾌락을 드러내는 표정을 포착하는데 작가 특유의 빠른 붓질이 작업을 통해 드러난다. 이준형은 이전 페인팅 작업을 통해 찰나의 순간을 멈춰 마치 자신이 시간을 통제하는 듯 작업을 이어왔다. 더불어 그는 이런 페인팅 프로젝트를 통해 사람, 혹은 사람의 인체, 몸을 주목하며 회화는, 이미지는 무엇을 해야 하는가를 질문하는 듯했다. 찰나의 순간, 혹은 지금, 현실은 어떤가를 질문하듯 말이다.

 

그리고 작가는 여전히 그리는 작업을 진행하지만 ‘멋진 신세계’ 프로젝트를 통해 자신의 작업 방식을 크게 선회한다. 헉슬리의 ‘Brave New World'에서 제목을 딴 이 프로젝트는 태양광 패널과 축전지를 이용해 이동식 작업실을 만들고 헉슬리가 그렸던 미래와 작가의 현실이 어떻게 분열되어 있는 지를 빠른 드로잉으로 작업하고 출판하는 프로젝트였다. 흔들리듯 진동하는 흐릿한 미지들은 헉슬리의 미래인 ’멋진 신세계‘와 그와 우리의 현실을 중첩시킨다. SNS 이미지 속에서는 모든 이들이 행복하다. 이미지 속 모든 사람들은 즐겁지만 가난한 이들을 보이지 않는 곳으로 몰아넣고 심지어 궁전조차 ’새 것‘인 서울의 모습에서 그는 헉슬리의 절망을 엿 보았는지도 모르겠다. 그렇게 작가는 지금 여기의 현실을 바라보고 현실의 이미지를 통해 그 이면을 드러내고자 한다.

 

그리고 작가는 마치 페인팅 작업을 원점으로 되돌리듯 자신의 페인팅 작업을 분해해 나무 프레임으로 뗏목을 만들어 한강을 건넌다. 뗏목에 설치한 여러 대의 카메라는 뗏목에 부딪히는 한강의 물살을 포착하고 작가는 붓이 아닌 온 몸으로 서울을, 한국을 상징하는 한강의 이미지를, 한강이 바라보는 세상의 이미지를 담는다. 캔버스 틀을 벗어나, 틀로 만든 도구를 통해 작가는 현실과 실재를 온전히 이미지화 한다. 더불어 그는 끊임없이 스스로를 비판하며 자신을 돌아보는 예술의 태도를 도전하듯 드러낸다. 시장과 인맥이 지배하는 시스템과 끊임없이 이미지를 쏟아내는 인터넷 세상에서 이준형은 예술과 예술가의 역할을 고민했다.

 

 

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Lee Joonhyung's Solo Show 'Our of Frame' in HRD Fine Art Kyoto

 

 

그리고 다시, 작가는 근 10년 만에 자신의 도전과 태도를 환기하기 위한 ‘Out of Frame' 작업을 시도한다. 10년 전 영상과 사진 이미지로 담았던 한강과 한강에서 바라본 이미지를 먹물을 이용해 다시 그린다. 이번 HRD Fine Art에 전시되는 작업들이 그것으로 번진 듯한 먹물의 흐릿한 물결 이미지는 한강을 도강하며 맞부딪혔던 그 물살들이다. 명확하지 않은 뿌연 이미지는 그의 작업 행보를 알지 못하면 모호하게 다가 올 수 있다. 그러나 검정 잉크가 튀는 듯한 이미지만으로도 운동감과 긴장감을 느낄 수 있다. 그렇게 작가는 다시 그리는 행위를 통해 기억하고 그 기억을 몸에 새긴다. 이렇듯 이준형은 끊임없이 틀 ’밖‘을 갈구한다. 혹은 자신과 우리를 옭아맨 틀을 거부하며 계속해서 새로운 틀을 상상하고 실험한다. 전통적인 서양화가 사용하는 유화물감과 캔버스 천 대신 검정 잉크를 사용해 흐릿하게 그려지는 이미지는 그의 도전과 태도를 기억하기 위한 또 다른 몸짓이다.

 

Seo Junho Director of O'NewWall

 

 

 

 

And Again, Out of Frame

 

In 2014, Lee Joon-hyung disassembled the canvases and wooden frames of the paintings he had worked on until then. He then constructed a raft out of these wooden frames and crossed the Han River by himself on it. His 'Out of Frame' exhibition presented at HRD Fine Art, is a revisitation of images which painted with eastern Asian ink captured across along the Han River in 2014, reinterpreted through recent artistic endeavors. This work aims to remind the challenges faced at that time and reflect on his artistic attitude again

 

Lee Joon-hyung, in his previous Chapter11 series, captured the momentary tension of subjects and transferred it onto the canvas. He rapidly depicted the expressions of divers as they plunged towards the water, and the tension imbued in each part of their bodies, with thin, flowing paint. Another project of the artist, 'Portrait', seemed to reveal the emotions of people through quick and bold brushstrokes. His 'Made in Heaven' series also featured his characteristic swift brushwork, capturing expressions of momentary pleasure. Through his previous painting work, Lee Joon-hyung seemed to freeze moments in time, as if he were trying to control it himself. Moreover, through these painting projects, he seemed to question what painting and images should do, focusing on people or the human body, asking what the 'moment' or 'now' is like.

 

However, while still painting, he significantly shifted his approach in the 'Brave New World' project. Named after Huxley's 'Brave New World', this project involved creating a mobile studio using solar panels and batteries, and producing quick drawings and publications about how Huxley's future and the artist's reality diverge. The trembling, blurry images overlap Huxley's 'Brave New World' with our reality. In SNS images, everyone seems happy. Everyone in these images looks joyful, but he might have glimpsed Huxley's despair in a Seoul where even palaces are 'new', pushing the poor out of sight. He, in this way, seeks to contemplate the present reality, aiming to reveal its another layer of its aspects through the images of reality."

 

Then, the artist crosses the Han River with a raft made from the frames of his disassembled paintings. Multiple cameras installed on the raft capture the Han River's currents hitting the raft, and the artist captures the image of the Han River, a symbol of Seoul and Korea, not with a brush, but with his whole body. By stepping out of the canvas frame and using the frame as a tool, the artist fully visualizes reality and existence. Moreover, he challenges himself to reflect on and critique his own artistry. In a world dominated by markets and connections, constantly spewing images on the internet, Lee Joon-hyung contemplated the role of art and artists.

 

And again, nearly 10 years later, the artist attempts the 'Out of Frame' project to remind himself of his challenges and attitudes. He redraws the Han River and the views from it, which he captured in photos and videos a decade ago, using eastern Asian ink. The works exhibited at HRD Fine Art feature blurry ink waves, reminiscent of the currents he encountered while crossing the Han River. These unclear, cloudy images might seem ambiguous to those unfamiliar with his work. However, even images splattered with black ink convey a sense of movement and tension. Thus, the artist remembers and engraves these memories onto his body through the act of drawing. In this way, Lee Joon-hyung constantly yearns for 'outside' the frame. Or, he continuously imagines and experiments with new frames, rejecting the ones that bind him and us. The blurry images drawn with black ink instead of traditional Western oil paints and canvas fabric are another gesture to remember his challenges and attitudes.

 

Seo Junho

Director of O'NewWall