Lee Won-Kyoung

VESTFOSSEN KUNSTLABORATORIUM / GIRL MEETS GIRL / 7.5.-25.9.2022

Lee Won-Kyoung

The main theme of LEE Wonkyung's work I make forms by weaving metal wire in the same way of knitting. The cold and solid features of metal meet this warm and soft quality of knitting. To give the image of a natural object to this artifact, I make a form as a vegetable element. Moreover, to offer different characters to this work, I create it with the touches of an animal or an organic body. The plant growing straight upright changes the image and now it is installed and fixed in the air as an image of a flying or moving animal.

By constantly overlapping such heterogeneous features, I express them as a work with one body or one subject.

This means not only possession of heterogeneous traits but also coexistence of completely different features.

When we meet someone for the first time and realize that the person is different from us, we tend to feel discomfort and conflict. We must be aware that difference is not a question of good and evil but a chance to experience dissimilar colors. For this reason, I suggest you to withhold your judgment on the characteristics that have been considered uncomfortable.

When you identify yourself with only one identity, you will have dislike, hatred and a feeling of rejection while growing belief of which the other is bad even though the person is not evil. This feeling is undoubtedly accompanied by violence, and is a floating matter of false or vain judgment. For this reason, when you encounter a variety of features or objects, do not have fear or exclude them but try to accept all characteristics as much as you can. Only then will it be possible for us to live together, respect and coexist in a world of diversity.

Flying When I first started knitting with metal wire at a time when I was changing from painting to installation, I was immersed in how to express animals in contrast with plants. The work was made using the image of the sprout, and in the early days, the completed form was installed in relief form as if a flat work was displayed on the wall. However, up until this point, I felt that the image of animals was not yet sufficient in my work.

So, from this period, I started to install it by emphasizing the dynamic form in the air using a fishing line. By increasing the number of works that had been individually installed one by one, they formed a cluster and gave direction in the form of landing or descending from the ceiling as if touching the floor. In addition, I tried to express the characteristics of animals in contrast to plants by focusing on the strong dynamics of a bird or insect with wings or a stingray swimming in the sea.

Originally, it was a group work of 18, but in this exhibition Girl Meets Girl in Vestfossen, Norway, it was composed of 9 objects considering the entire space.

VESTFOSSEN KUNSTLABORATORIUM / GIRL MEETS GIRL / 7.5.-25.9.2022

SFL The images mainly used when first creating shapes with plant elements were focused on drawing out images of animals or organisms through transformations such as dismantling or recombining individual elements of fruits, leaves, stems and roots. Most of the works in which the body is clearly visible begin to form using images of bulbous plants or root vegetables among the elements of plants. This work also started like that.

At some point, information about the killing mite began to be heard through the Korean media outlets. The part that made me question is that this killer mite suddenly appeared at some point, and it was not a pest that existed before, but a new species due to climate change or environmental pollution.

It occurred to me that it may or may not be true. To be more honest, it made me wonder if it had already existed for a long time. Couldn't it have been only recently that the first time someone became aware of their existence by causing a rash? It felt strange that the moment when human beings were conscious of an object was the first of its occurrence.

So, although it is a pest that harms humans, paradoxically, I made this work as cute and loving as possible with the intention of acknowledging the existence of a subject that may have lived before that and showing respect.

If you ask me where the hell is cute and lovely, there is nothing to say. Anyway, it is a work that I am very attached to because it is cute and lovely to me.

Uni3 This work is also a kind of root plant, but unlike root plants such as potatoes, hemp, and sweet potatoes, it has an onion shape. Looking at the roots of garlic and onions that are easily cut and thrown away, I had an opportunity to think about the root itself.

We mainly recognize flowers, fruits, stems, leaves, etc., which are parts that protrude above the ground, as elements of plants. Although the root supports the body of a plant and absorbs nutrients, it does not seem to occupy an important position in the superficial phase of the image, although it plays an important role in the life of a single being. In particular, although the thread root is in direct contact with the ground and plays the biggest role in maintaining the growth and life of plants by absorbing most of the nutrients, there are some people who do not even know the existence of the thread root because it is invisible.

People have a tendency to unconsciously judge things in an anthropocentric way.

Just looking at the example of the root of the thread, when there are plants and animals, humans recognize the preciousness of life more greatly for animals that seem to have a relatively more sympathetic element to humans.

This consciousness shows a tendency to expand to a greater extent.

When there are animals and people, what do we think is more valuable?

Humans always tend to give priority to beings that are a little more intelligent or more powerful. This leads to discriminatory divisions between men and women, whites and people of color, people with and without disabilities, and educational background.

Through <Uni3>, produced based on these thoughts, like other works with roots as a motif, I would like to have an opportunity to reconsider the reality of importance judged in our consciousness.

VESTFOSSEN KUNSTLABORATORIUM / GIRL MEETS GIRL / 7.5.-25.9.2022

Sweet P2015 Now, let's talk about <Sweet-P2015>, a work that has the same root plant base.

When you look at this work, you may think that the form is bizarre. The title of this work seems bright and cheerful, like the name of a character in an animated movie, but there are many roots growing from the body, and the long, like drooping tentacles do not look as bright as the title.

I currently live and work in Daejeon, Korea. At one time, I participated in a special exhibition based on the historical nature of a district called Sojedong, a part of Daejeon. In Soje-dong, located in the eastern part of Daejeon, there was a very large and beautiful natural lake called 'Soje-ho' until the Japanese migrated during the Japanese colonial period. It is said that not only the beautiful scenery, but also the aquatic plants of the fern family, which only exist there, are said to have played a major role as local specialties that help the economic activities of the local residents.

Before making the work, I researched the history of this area, where railway-related buildings were mainly built during the Japanese colonial period, such as a railroad supply warehouse.

In doing so, I learned for the first time that Soje-ho (Lake), which showed such wonderful natural scenery and was like a home for local residents, existed.

So I started asking the elderly who were born and raised in Daejeon whether they knew that Sojeho existed. But I was very surprised that not a single person knew about the lake.

In this work, I expressed my feelings about the lost historical roots and root consciousness for 'Soja-dong' and 'Soje-ho'.

When the Japanese started building railroads in Korea to facilitate the invasion of China, they called it a project for the development of Joseon (the old name of Korea) and migrated a large number of Japanese to this area.

As it happened, Lake Soje-ho, which was beautiful and so much meaning for residents, was filled with soil and disappeared without a trace.

At that time, the root work I was mainly doing was in shiny silver. However, the empty railroad supply warehouse, which was given as an exhibition hall containing historical values, was old and worn out and had a fire, so it had a deep black color. From the time this exhibition was first planned, it was the organizer's intention to express the characteristics of the artist's own original work to the fullest extent in this exhibition.

However, when I was working with the silver wire I was dealing with at that time, I didn't want it to be expressed in a rather lively atmosphere by contrasting with the black and dark background of the railroad supply warehouse. So, by choosing black, a color similar to the exhibition hall, to make it inconspicuous, it symbolizes the historicity and fundamental roots of the existence that clearly existed but disappeared before our eyes.

In fact, around the time of the exhibition at the railroad supply warehouse in Daejeon Station, the lighting was very dimly installed, so the artworks were often caught on the heads and bodies of visitors. The viewer only knew that my work was there when it touched their body. It was a way to perceive the invisible in an uncomfortable way. In order to reflect on the place and its historical meaning that clearly existed even if it is not visible now, I tried an installation method in which the work was recognized in such an uncomfortable way.

VESTFOSSEN KUNSTLABORATORIUM / GIRL MEETS GIRL / 7.5.-25.9.2022

Black Seed : floating and floating over multiple stems The installation work <Black Seed> tells a story related to ecology, like the 2014 work <Disappearing Children>, which deals with how the reduction of bees affects our future. In addition, it contains the importance of food, which has been of great interest for a long time, as I watched abnormal signs of health in my family's body, and what to do and put into practice.

In particular, <Black Seed> is a work that reveals how the already existing form of coexistence in the diversity of species can be beneficial to us as well.

Agricultural products harvested in the mass production method are densely cultivated on the divided land, so nutrients in the soil are inevitably insufficient, and since only one 'species' is raised, the massive spraying of pesticides due to the large amount of pests cannot be avoided.

However, the 'natural farming' method literally means cultivating several species on ample land as in the natural state, so you can get a nutritious harvest from good soil. Also, since each species acts as an insect repellent to each other, there is little need for pesticide use.

At this time, if consumers do not hesitate to choose a rather ugly form of agricultural products, we will be able to receive nutritious and pesticide-free food.

In order to induce such consumer choice, I continue to make small seeds or fruit-shaped forms into ‘ugly’ shapes, or in a heterogeneous form that does not feel like seeds at all.

The installation work <Black Seed> constitutes a positive harmony and effect in a situation where different characteristics coexist, such as an environment where several species of plants are cultivated together.

This work is not yet completely finished. The conception of this work started with the work <Disappearing Children> in 2015, but started making it in 2014. In addition, as I prepared for my solo exhibition at Holston Gallery in South Korea in 2017, I began to produce and install many more under the exhibition title, 'Floating and Floating, over Multiple Stems...'. Also, this is a subtitle. And while participating in a residency in Paris in 2019, I also tried to compose a unique form with the story of that place. It's a project I'm making in my spare time when I'm not busy with a project with a deadline, and I haven't decided when this work will end or if I'll keep it until the end of my life.

B-Heart; Contribution of Choice In the early days of my work, I had no interest in dictionary definitions, just questions such as 'what is knowing' and 'what does it mean to truly understand others' remained in my mind for a long time.

'Are two different beings that we consider different really different...?', 'Can it be said that the properties of two seemingly identical objects are truly the same...?' If there is anything I have come to realize while continuing the work that started from this question, I will answer that it is watching the state of the object change rather than a certain attribute.

Rather than the representative image of an object that is inherently possessed, what is constituted by the object through time is, from my point of view, the

VESTFOSSEN KUNSTLABORATORIUM / GIRL MEETS GIRL / 7.5.-25.9.2022

process of understanding the object and dealing with the world, and knowing itself.

My interest, which had always been directed toward external objects, recently took an opportunity to ask myself how I have reacted to myself in relation to ‘knowing’ and ‘understanding’.

When I come to know something and come to a choice among numerous factors, it is the 'head or the heart...?' , or 'Is my brain in my head or my heart in my chest...?' I just came to ask the question.

Of course, it's not exactly bisected.

However, there is something in my life that I noticed and regretted at an unexpected moment. At the crossroads of so many choices, I came to know how cold I was about my heart-pounding reactions only at this point, long after I became an adult.

When I look around my life as well as my friends, there is a part that raises questions about the way we all treat life.

There is a point at which we first think about whether this is publicly reasonable even in our own issues, or whether it is more beneficial to many people than myself.

Maybe it's because I feel awkward in revealing my own feelings, consider myself unreasonable in making emotional judgments, and am otherizing myself as a social and public consciousness?

It is only natural that things related to me should be chosen in a way that is at least honest with my feelings.

When such a choice is made, I will have less regrets, lead my own life properly, and have the strength to support the weight of my problems.

The ‘heart’ has already been playing the role of a wise guide in my life in moments where it is difficult to judge with just the ‘brain’.

This project ‘B-Heart; Contribution of Choice' contains content that is a little closer to my own life like this.

‘B-Heart’ refers to both the brain and the heart.

Along with these stories, this series was designed in the idea of finding answers to questions raised within me about ‘knowing’ and ‘understanding’, which have always been limited to my interest in external objects.

I have been thinking that all human organs are connected to the brain, so all information moves to the brain, and the resulting cognitive actions and judgments are made only in the brain.

What was interesting, however, was the fact that there are neurotransmitters found in the brain even in the heart, so that information transfer and direct cognition takes place in the heart itself to some extent.

For that reason, the fact that it is possible for us to feel and judge something emotionally within the heart surprised me a lot, and that fact became the main idea that made up this work.

This work is part of the 'B-Heart: Contribution of Choice' series and is an early stage work in the ongoing series.

Unlike other black works, this work presented in this Girl Meets Girl exhibition is the only work with color, and it was produced by mixing black and purple in juxtaposition.

When lighting work after installation, I asked that special attention should be paid to lighting installation, as the overall work can create a different drawing feeling in the shadows.

Thankfully, in response to my request, the people involved here put all their senses into the details of light and shadow.

Especially at night, in a situation where the effect of lighting is prominent, the red color is vividly expressed in this work.

This exhibition was a good opportunity for me to learn how deeply I can trace light and shadow.

Also, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to not only the people who paid attention to the lighting installation, but also to the many people who cared for me countless times every moment for this exhibition.

VESTFOSSEN KUNSTLABORATORIUM / GIRL MEETS GIRL / 7.5.-25.9.2022

The Story of Your Mythology Finally, I would like to move my attention to <The Story of Your Mythology>, the largest of my works in this exhibition.

This work can be said to have originated from my work, <Whale of Jonah>, which is currently in the collection of the Shinri Shrine Martyrdom Art Museum in Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea.

To mention the work for a moment, it is necessary to introduce an anecdote from the Old Testament.

'Jonah' is a saint in the Old Testament.

God commands Jonah to convert the fallen pagans of one city, but Jonah doesn't like it, so he takes a boat and moves to another city.

At that time, he is faced with a severe storm, and Jonah throws himself into the sea, saying that he was the cause of the storm.

At this time, God sent a large fish to swallow Jonah, and after three days and three nights, this large fish carried Jonah to land.

During those three days and three nights, Jonah is shown communicating with God through prayer.

I interpreted this big fish as a giant whale here.

In this passage, I thought that if the situation were real, it would be a moment where it would be difficult to even breathe because it was entangled in digestive juices and foreign substances when swallowed by a giant creature.

But it felt so peaceful to me that Jonah was praying and conversing with God. The figure came to me as an image of God's lifeboat for rescue, or a ship, shelter, or fortress.

Jonah, who jumped out of the boat, was safely rescued into another boat, the belly of a whale.

As someone who meditates often, I already know that praying can have a psychologically stabilizing effect similar to meditation.

I have a hard time while working, but my studio where I can concentrate and the time it takes to work there gives me a sense of calm and peace at the same time, like when I pray or meditate, so this place gives me a lot of thoughts. It becomes an unknown time and space that emerges.

It is time to open the unconscious.

No matter how intense the labor, the time and space give me the feeling of shelter and fortress, like Jonah's whale.

The things I saw, experienced, and felt in other spaces and times are reproduced in the form of memories again in this psychological space, but as if I have a different self, the sum of memories is arranged and interpreted in a certain direction, so that I can create results through this work.

It felt like I had learned experientially what the unconscious itself was, distinctly different from when I tried to understand it by reading it as a text.

So I decided to try this one more time.

It is true that the background for starting this work was not my will, but it was commissioned by an institution and started with a religious meaning.

However, I do not intend to adhere to a single religion, so I thought that it was inevitable to give it a different name when it came to the work of this gigantic black whale. <The Story of Your Mythology> thus contains a double meaning.

This will be my story because I am telling my experience, but it will be your story, not mine, in the sense of leaving behind the religious background from which this work was created.

But if you ask why the word 'mythology' is included here, this is because I am talking about the experience of the unconscious. I use the word 'myth' because we believe that each of us can create our own myth through

VESTFOSSEN KUNSTLABORATORIUM / GIRL MEETS GIRL / 7.5.-25.9.2022

our unconscious, which holds all our memories.

Therefore, this is ‘my story’, or ‘your story, not mine’, or it is the story of all of us and a myth that each individual will experience.

So, in this exhibition of Girl Meets Girl, I considered the belly of the whale as a space of the unconscious, and I used one spot as a standard to express the meaning that any thoughts can come up and be created in the belly.

The spot is on the floor right next to the central staircase leading up to the main exhibition hall on the 3rd floor of the Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium.

Looking at the whale from that point, the viewer will get the impression that almost all of the artwork is inside the whale's belly.

Biography Born in Cheonan, South Korea, Lee Won-Kyoung majored in fine art at Hannam University and Dankook University.

She is currently participating in the Girl Meets Girl exhibition at Vestfossen Kunstlaboratorium in Norway. She had participated as the 6th resident artist at Paris Leeungno Residency in France, the 8th resident artist at Artist Residency TEMI in South Korea, and the 1st resident artist at Gallery Holston in South Korea.

She was selected for Gwangju 'Light' Exhibition, Shinhan Hwa-gu Think Art Korea, Geumgang Nature Art Biennale, NEXT CODE, etc., and she won the 19th Ha Jung-woong Young Artist Award in South Korea.

Lee Won-Kyoung's works are in the collections of Shinri Shrine Martyrdom Art Museum, Shinhan Art, Karas Gallery, Hwabong Gallery, and PONETIVE Space in South Korea.