Which Bazaar Art column has remained most memorable?
‘The Portrait Project’ featuring artist Sungsic Moon, published in the October 2017 issue.
Why?
Having interviewed and photographed numerous actors over the years, I often felt there were limitations to expressing the individuality, philosophy, and beauty of the actors we admire and celebrate.
In 2016, the American edition of Harper’s Bazaar invited Francesco Clemente to create portraits of six models ranging in age from twenty-something Anna Ewers to the sixty-year-old Iman. Inspired by that project, I conceived the ‘Portrait Project’ in the winter of the same year. If New York had Clemente, Seoul had Sungsic Moon. The participating actors were Youn Yuh-jung, Lim Soo-jung, Kim Ok Vin, Chun Woo Hee, and Jung Eun-chae.
While working on the project, I came to realize that the true subject of portraiture is the exchange between the painter and the sitter. As a third-party observer, witnessing the varying temperatures and intensities of those exchanges was a private pleasure. The conversations shared between the artist and the actors—grounded in mutual respect and curiosity about each other’s artistic practices—felt particularly sincere.
After moving through moments of caution and awkwardness, the encounters deepened into awareness, understanding, and genuine connection. The time spent together by artist and actor, followed by the artist’s solitary labor before the canvas, repeating tens of thousands of brushstrokes, ultimately resulted in five finished works.
Highlighted Passage
In the middle of summer, Youn Yuh-jung and Sungsic Moon sat across from each other at a wide table holding a few thin brushes, a water container for adjusting ink tones, and sheets of white paper.
“You don’t draw with a pencil?”
“No, I use a brush.”
“Isn’t that more difficult?”
“Yes, it is. It’s harder to make corrections.”
“Then why use a brush?”
“I’m trying to capture the feeling I receive from meeting you. The actual painting will be made later using today’s drawing, so right now my primary goal is to capture the immediacy of the moment rather than produce an exact likeness.”
“You know, make sure you draw all my wrinkles.”
“Yes, I’ve already drawn plenty of them.” (laughs)
“You’ve made my fortune lines look quite… spectacular.”
(Laughter around the room.)
What was the most enjoyable article you read in Bazaar Art?
Why Berlin, published in the April 2018 issue. The article explores why Berlin has become a gathering place for artists from around the world through interviews conducted by artist Young-jun Tak, who is currently active in Berlin, during visits to the studios of Berlin-based artists. The article offers vivid glimpses into the working environments of internationally acclaimed artists such as Monica Bonvicini, Alicja Kwade, and Simon Fujiwara.
What makes Bazaar Art special?
Its ability to vividly convey the remarkably diverse, stimulating, and sincere aspects of today’s art world without resorting to tedious value judgments.
