Selection
OIKOS_BOUQUET
Sung Min Woo2024.10.31 ~ 2025.01.13
Description of the work
- Media Coloring & Gold Powder on Silk
- Location LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL MAIN TOWER 1F
Vibrant colors of grass are beautifully embroidered in this artwork, making "embroidered" a fitting description. Instead of a conventional canvas, it is painted on silk using gold powder and ink wash. Countless grasses, rendered with materials held in high esteem since ancient times, intertwine in forms reminiscent of a bouquet or even the planets of the universe. This work is by SUNG Min Woo, a Korean artist known for depicting grasses with gold powder on silk.
The grasses featured in her works are "wild grasses." These humble plants lack a striking presence to be considered protagonists. However, the artist adorns them with gold powder, creating some of the most splendid imagery. There is a special reason for this choice. She views the narratives of human life not as elegantly blooming flowers, but rather akin to wild grasses that stubbornly hold their ground, even when trampled by passersby. Thus, to SUNG, wild grasses symbolize all of us enduring in the face of life's adversities.
The grasses featured in her works are "wild grasses." These humble plants lack a striking presence to be considered protagonists. However, the artist adorns them with gold powder, creating some of the most splendid imagery. There is a special reason for this choice. She views the narratives of human life not as elegantly blooming flowers, but rather akin to wild grasses that stubbornly hold their ground, even when trampled by passersby. Thus, to SUNG, wild grasses symbolize all of us enduring in the face of life's adversities.
About the author
In 2013, SUNG received the Tomorrow’s Artist Award in honor of the Joseon era’s greatest painter, Jeong Seon. She went on to win the Grand Prize at the Geumgang Art Exhibition in 2015 and the Danwon Art Award at the Danwon Art Festival, garnering attention in the art world. Over time, her artistic style and philosophy have become increasingly robust, establishing SUNG as a representative figure in Korean contemporary art.
Therefore, her works reflect a longing for wild grasses. This longing extends to hope and comfort for those leading arduous lives. This is why his artworks do more than merely convey vibrancy through gold powder on silk. SUNG pieces are held in prominent collections across major art institutions in South Korea, including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul and Daejeon Art Museums,
and the Government Art Bank, as well as significant overseas institutions such as the Egyptian Embassy in Korea.
Therefore, her works reflect a longing for wild grasses. This longing extends to hope and comfort for those leading arduous lives. This is why his artworks do more than merely convey vibrancy through gold powder on silk. SUNG pieces are held in prominent collections across major art institutions in South Korea, including the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul and Daejeon Art Museums,
and the Government Art Bank, as well as significant overseas institutions such as the Egyptian Embassy in Korea.
Sung Min Woo (1974, Korea)
Ph. D Art Education, Korea National University of Education, Seoul, Korea
M.F.A. & B.F.A. Oriental Painting, Hongik University, Seoul, Korea
M.F.A. & B.F.A. Oriental Painting, Hongik University, Seoul, Korea
