Installation view of 《TwinFlame》(2025, YK Presents) © YK Presents

Preface (Sang-eun Oh)

How can we describe the trajectory through which the vast category of “society” narrows into “us,” through which “we” divide into “you and I,” and finally into the solitary state of “I”? Conversely, what essential condition allows the path from the self—beginning as “I”—to expand into “you and I,” then “we,” and ultimately into society at large?

In response to these questions, artist Eunsi Jo articulates through visual language a meditation on identity—on encounters and partings that occur within irresistible forces of “resemblance,” and on the resonances between the individual and the collective.


 
Sea, Rain, Wind, and Typhoon: Identity as a Union of Signs

On one wall, a vast canvas depicts surging waves in motion. White foam and undulating currents fill the surface, where an empty metal bucket floats above, and small breakwaters are positioned below. Each element in this composition exists as an independent entity, yet their interplay forms a unified meaning. This structure visually embodies what Nietzsche described as the principle of individuation—the process by which independence and totality coexist within a larger context.

In this process of convergence, Jo captures the moment when each object attains a sense of “self-overcoming” and “self-creation.” It is as though every subject composing a scene begins as a separate being, but through mutual interaction generates new meanings and identities.

Elsewhere, a whirlwind occupies the center of another canvas, surrounded by torrents of rain and water spouts. These forms, each distinct in shape, converge to create a single image, inviting interpretation on another level.

In some works, divided panels are mounted on three-dimensional structures, evoking the tension of an imminent, unpredictable event. This tension signals the potential for transformation beyond established order. The partitioned frames and the elements within them invite the viewer to construct meaning, guiding each independent form back into a collective flow of movement and relation.


Installation view of 《TwinFlame》(2025, YK Presents) © YK Presents

The Trajectory of Cause and Connection: Dynamics Within Symbolic Relations

The works dispersed throughout the exhibition space adopt nonlinear structures that, through the viewer’s gaze, are linked by similarities to form a linear flow. Lines and triangles appear across the surfaces, establishing inseparable relationships akin to those between signifier and signified. The interwoven generation of meaning resembles the trajectory of inyun—a Korean concept of karmic connection that binds cause and effect across visible and invisible realms.

Here, the symbols do more than compose spatial arrangements; they serve as visual devices that strengthen the narrative structure of the exhibition. These signs invite enigmatic questions, prompting viewers to infer stories as they recognize the interplay among elements—sea, bucket, breakwater, vortex, hurricane, tornado, trees, and night. Each independent motif merges into a broader context.

The symbols that emerge are not products of spontaneity but diagrammatic tools—keys that reveal the flowing continuity of relationships, much like the trajectory of inyun itself.

The title “TwinFlame” evokes the notion of soulmates but carries a distinct difference. While a soulmate represents two separate souls uniting into one, twin flames refer to a single soul that, across multiple lifetimes, divides and evolves into two separate entities.

In our lives, we encounter meetings and partings that seem destined, relationships that do not last forever yet leave indelible traces. Through such repetitions of connection and separation—reflected in Jo’s works, where similar yet divergent elements coexist—the exhibition contemplates the flow of finite life and the invisible forces that irresistibly draw beings together.

References