Installation view of 《Love from Ruins》 © Oro Minkyung

Artist Note
 
#1 Foreword

《Love from Ruins》 was made possible at the invitation of artist Sujin Kim at Art Jamsil — a space operated both as her studio and exhibition venue. Through a collaborative practice called “Deadline News,” we had built a deep relationship, and during a time when I was living quietly without much contact, she reached out to me with care and offered this exhibition.

Here, I wanted to share moments not of completed works, but of the movement of a foolish love I had encountered. The places of solidarity I followed my heart toward — the people who came to protect someone being driven out. The warmth shared between breaking objects and food, the love that inevitably fails, yet the heart that still longs for salvation again. Amidst these complexities, I gathered the activities, people, letters, and books that became the light for me — building a space where we could read together, host a making workshop, screenings, and performances.
 

Installation view of 《Love from Ruins》 © Oro Minkyung

#2 The Exhibition Space

Invitation Text

When did it begin — that Seoul felt like a city collapsing a little more each day? Living in a collapsing city, I sensed the forces that endure to avoid collapse. A tense atmosphere on the verge of snapping — struggles of conquest and loss — ecosystems of desolate emotion crushed into dust on the ground. Surrounded by things that continuously fall apart, our thoughts and senses become unable to imagine beyond destruction. We want to escape the fear of loss, but our bodies do not easily move forward.

In such moments, I began thinking about the interactions between environment and body. The remnants of destruction — abandoned open fields, the scattered forms of tiny fragments — every time I wished to pause before them, a question arose: “When someone hates someone, someone else plants a seed again.” There exists a movement of love that becomes more confused, yet more transparent in front of that.

《Love from Ruins》 reflects on love encountered at a place of ruins where no leap seemed possible — love that led me to ruins, love that gave me strength to face ruins. It questions love in its many forms — a story of togetherness found in the journey of losing and reclaiming one’s name. May we share the tender sprouts rising among what has collapsed, the faint lights that appear only in the darkest hours — our questions and affections for them.

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