Beak Jungki, Fusor, 2021, Stainless steel vaccum chamber, Oil diffusion pump, Rotary pump, Heat exchanger, Condenser, Hydrogen, Water pump, High voltage power supply, Mixed media, 160 x 120 x 180cm © Willing N Dealing

《Wet Metal》, solo exhibition of Jungki BEAK, presented by Space Willing N Dealing is conceived from the propensity of metal that stood out in his ‘SAJU(chart of oriental five elements)’. One day, a fortune teller informed the artist, who was born with a large number of "metal" according to his SAJU, that dealing with much metal is suitable for his aptitude. Considering that he has studied metal crafts in addition to sculptures, which he majored in, and has worked using various machines and metal tools so far, it would not have been irrelevant to the artist's natural disposition. Jungki BEAK, who lacks "water" in his SAJU, has also been working on the water. Representative examples include Pray for Rain: Cairo(2008) which is a video work of performance about the rain calling ceremony or Is of: Seoul(2013) which is installtion work of replacing the pollution level of the Han-River in Seoul with images of color values that change from litmus paper. In the 2020 solo exhibition in gallery ERD, BEAK presented the work about ecology of mushrooms in connection with the rainy season. Introduced by Space Willing and Dealing, this Jungki BEAK's 2021 solo exhibition is about the story of metal related to water.

For the work of Fusor(2021), BEAK used the symbol of water as a means of defending the risk factors to visually draw invisible phenomena to the exhibition space. The structures surrounding the core device are various animal shapes and patterns symbolized by old ancestors or imaginary animals. The main support of the structure is the shape of a dragon, which has long been known to control water. "Bing Yul Mun(irregular pattern of ice crack)" is applied to the device for preserving cooling water, which means that the firearm of the furnace is controlled by ice. In addition, as a cover of a device that generates 60,000 volts of power, a turtle shape placed symbolizing safety and longevity, and the nuclear atom at the center is surrounded by dragons, tigers, phoenixes, and turtles. All of these traditional symbols, which would have been made of stones and metals, were made of 3D printers by the artist BEAK, the result of modern science and technology, and nuclear fusion devices located at the heart of the structure can actually be observed.

Beak Jungki, Fusor(part), 2021, Stainless steel vaccum chamber, Oil diffusion pump, Rotary pump, Heat exchanger, Condenser, Hydrogen, Water pump, High voltage power supply, Mixed media, 160 x 120 x 180cm © Willing N Dealing

BEAK noted that most scientific devices invented in the East have clear practical uses with splendid decorative properties. And found that such decorations consisted of meanings and symbols for the task to be accomplished through the scientific device. Considering that Western scientific devices, which were invented at same era, were manufactured mostly according to practicality without thoroughly excluding decorations, it shows different view on the sceince between East and West.

The installation work by BEAK, which is close to the 'invention' that enables a new methodology, is recognized as part of the work with magical decorations and formative beauty, even the device used in the process for the outcome. In this exhibition at Space Willing N Dealing, scientific devices that require more precision will be completed as the part of the installation work. In particular, the work of Fusor, incorporating modern science and technology with visual art is considered as an artificial sun modeled after the actual one generating energy. Through this, the Space Willing N Dealing become a place where the present temporality is eliminated. There remain the senses of other dimensions beyond time and space.

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