Sooyeon Hong 08 June - 07 July 2019 _ Indipress Gallery_ Seoul

I remember my first visit to Hong Sooyeon’s studio around 2007. After encountering her work—which achieved such a rich and profound visual depth despite using simple formal elements—I felt a strong urge to track down her workspace. What struck me most was the studio itself; it was a space that felt as though it might become entirely empty if one were to remove only the works in progress, the pigment containers, the workbench, and a few chairs. It was a space where only the essential tools for creation existed.

It was also a place where one could intuit a unique creative process: a method where the movements of the artist’s own body (as if the artist herself were one of the essential tools), the subtle tilting of the canvas, and the meticulous control over the passage of time allowed forms to emerge and find their perfect balance. Within the works, it seemed that not only the pigments but also the artist’s sensibility and physicality were in a state of flow, transferring a sense of intense immersion directly to the viewer.

Over the past decade and a half, my occasional visits to her studio have consistently reaffirmed that her artistic attitude and character remain as steadfast as ever. As a gallery director, it is a profound joy to prepare an exhibition for an artist who—with unwavering dedication and a gradual yet firm pace—continues to expand her artistic territory. This is an invitation to witness the work of an artist in whom one can place absolute trust.