"The very word everyday evokes a sense of dryness and monotony. If we regard every space and every material thing merely as an object of observation, they inevitably appear rigid and lifeless. Yet we are deeply immersed in everyday life. We do not simply accept it as it is. Even within repetitive spaces and recurring events, our endless imagination responds by creating another world.

For that reason, no space or event can ever truly repeat itself in exactly the same way. We do not exist solely within the visible, material world; we inhabit another world where imagination coexists, or perhaps the boundary between these two worlds. Through the pictorial space of painting, I seek to bring these worlds together and, in doing so, reveal what everyday life truly is.

Within that space, I also seek to discover and present my own existence. In my practice, painting becomes a new theatrical space in which everyday life and imagination can coexist. To construct this coexistence, I deliberately rely on a degree of photographic realism.

The photograph's power as a 'proof of existence' heightens the tension between imagination and reality. It is also a way of satisfying my desire—perhaps even my obsession—to construct my own world with complete conviction within the space of painting.

At its core, my work is probably rooted in a profound sense of self-love and an attachment to my own life. In this respect, my practice inevitably bears certain affinities with Surrealist painting. Yet while Surrealism sought to disrupt the established order between the unconscious and the material world, I am concerned instead with their coexistence and the boundary that separates and connects them.

Moreover, the unconscious and imagination are by no means identical; they overlap in some respects while remaining distinct in others. For me, the finest painting is a sensuous visual stimulus that carries a subtle, concealed narrative."

— Artist's Statement


Seo Sangik, Paint it Black, 2010, Oil on canvas, 97 x 193.9 cm © Seo Sangik

The moment the smallest details of everyday life are transformed into a theater of imagination, human existence becomes richer. Although the artist's intensely personal vision may not resonate equally with every viewer, it is difficult to resist the allure of canvases that draw us into expanded dimensions of space and time.

They avoid becoming mere echoes of a self-enclosed world because they depict highly specific situations with photographic clarity. Through an extraordinary precision of observation, Seo renders scenes whose meanings cannot be fully grasped at a glance, allowing one thread of imagination to lead inexorably to another.

Even while speaking of imagination, he never retreats into the safety of vague abstraction. Rather than asserting authority over the viewer from the outset, he invites us to begin from the same point of departure.

Yet, in the end, the experience unfolds like a theatrical performance that reveals everything it intends to reveal. It is a confidence grounded in equality with the viewer, and for that reason, the emotional resonance of the drama becomes all the more profound.

References