YUN Suknam and YOON Seok-koo are siblings, each deeply engrossed in their respective artistic journeys. They were born into a household with notable parents: Baek-nam Yoon, a pioneering film director and novelist in South Korea, and Jeong-sook Won. Among their six siblings, YUN Suknam (1939~), the second child, and YOON Seok-koo (1947~), the fifth, share an eight-year age gap. Their family environment fostered a tradition of artistic exploration, with members spanning diverse creative fields such as art, music, and film. YUN Suknam is renowned as a trailblazer in Korean feminist art, laying foundational groundwork and continually pushing boundaries. Meanwhile, YOON Seok-koo has devoted his life to sculpture. Despite their profound connection and unwavering support for each other's artistic endeavors, YUN Suknam and YOON Seok-koo have chosen to pursue independent paths in the art world. As a result, their sibling relationship has largely remained unnoticed by those outside their inner circle, recognized only by individuals deeply entrenched within the art community.
The collaborative exhibition featuring YUN Suknam and YOON Seok-koo, curated by Hakgojae Gallery, marks the first time the siblings have officially displayed their work together. Before this event, their only collaboration was a sculpture created in 2012 as part of the International Stone Culture Project in Iksan, Jeollabuk-do. Named Rest, this sculpture stands as a testament to their joint creativity, with YOON Seok-koo bringing it to life based on a concept and drawing provided by YUN Suknam. Rest stands as a permanent fixture in the Iksan Central Sports Park, crafted from Hwangdeung Granite, a locally sourced stone. The sculpture embodies three distinct elements: a sofa and a dog, representing YUN Suknam's artistic themes, and a tree, symbolizing YOON Seok-koo's interests at the time.
Throughout YUN Suknam's career, she has consistently shared exhibition opportunities with younger female artists, fostering mutual growth. However, in this particular exhibition, she graciously steps back to allow her younger brother YOON Seok-koo's unique, previously unpublished work, which he has diligently crafted in recent years, to take center stage. In preparation for this review, I had the chance to speak with both siblings separately, a rare occurrence as they don't often delve deeply into discussions about each other's work. YUN Suknam expressed empathy for her brother's busy schedule, balancing teaching duties with his artistic pursuits at Wonkwang University. Yet, I could sense her relief and pride as she witnessed YOON Seok-koo bravely unveil his new creations post-retirement, offering him heartfelt encouragement and support. Meanwhile, YOON Seok-koo fondly reminisced about the profound impact of his sister's expertise in woodworking, seamlessly merging sculpture and painting techniques. He particularly admired YUN Suknam's inventive method of painting atop carved wood, skillfully blending the mediums to form intricate shapes, which he recognized as capable of surpassing conventional artistic boundaries. This approach, he noted, challenges the traditional teachings of art schools, which often rigidly segregate various mediums. In doing so, he praised YUN Suknam's pioneering spirit and innovative artistic vision.1
The exhibition will showcase a curated selection of 96 drawings created by YUN Suknam between 2000 and 2003, meticulously chosen from her extensive collection of 700 pieces produced during that period. Additionally, approximately 15 new, previously unreleased works by YOON Seok-koo will be unveiled. Since the early 1990s, YUN Suknam has been deeply engaged in crafting sculptures portraying female figures on refined wood, along with creating installation works using ready-made objects. In the early 2000s, she furthered her artistic exploration by venturing into drawing as a means to address her creative concerns and fulfill her desire for visual expression. Employing colored pencils on specific-sized sheets of paper, she produced numerous drawings, each imbued with her unique vision and artistic sensibility. These drawings made their debut as standalone works in YUN Suknam's solo exhibition, YUN Suknam♥Heart, at the Seoul Museum of Art (SeMA), Seoul, Korea in 2015. Since then, they have been featured in various exhibitions, garnering acclaim for their artistic excellence and distinctive style.
YUN Suknam's drawings are more than just sketches or drafts; they embody a fusion of words and images that goes beyond mere artistic representation. Infused with feminist introspection and a literary depth honed through her lifelong passion for reading, her drawings resonate with profound meaning. Even in her mid-eighties, YUN Suknam maintains a daily routine that includes both reading and painting, both of which are deeply ingrained habits for her. In contrast to her three-dimensional works, which undergo a complex production process involving multiple stages and convey implicit narratives, her drawings resemble a vertical pictorial diary. Created spontaneously, they capture stories and figures in a short amount of time. With a poetic essence drawn from her own autobiographical experiences as a woman and reflections on the societal context shaping those experiences, as well as thoughts on intimate relationships and inspirations from literature, YUN Suknam's concise drawings possess a unique quality that invites intuitive understanding. Infused with humor and wit, they provide a light-hearted approach to exploring weighty societal issues depicted in her paintings. By stimulating empathy and imagination, her artworks allow audiences to engage deeply with these themes, fostering an atmosphere of contemplation and empathy while maintaining a sense of lightness.
While YUN Suknam followed an independent artistic path without formal education, YOON Seok-koo pursued a conventional trajectory through art school. His artistic journey commenced with his inaugural solo exhibition in 1978, marking his entry into the realm of sculpture. Born and raised in Seoul, YOON Seok-koo honed his sculpting skills under the tutelage of Professor Jeong-sook Kim at Hongik University before undertaking further studies in Germany. Throughout the 1980s, he gained recognition for his sculptures exploring human suffering arising from existential questions, presenting his works in three solo exhibitions. Concurrently, YOON Seok-koo served as a professor at Wonkwang University for 26 years, all the while maintaining his dedication to artistic creation. Following his retirement in 2013 and subsequent relocation to Gyeonggi Province, YOON Seok-koo wholeheartedly immersed himself in his artistic pursuits. In recognition of his unwavering commitment, YUN Suknam graciously provided him with studio space in 2018, which became a productive setting for their creative endeavors.
YOON Seok-koo's recent artistic endeavors are marked by several central themes, prominently including fabric works, fabric-wrapped sculptures, reinterpretations, and ready-made art. Among these, the central focus lies on fabric works and fabric-wrapped sculptures. Throughout the past few years, YOON Seok-koo has been meticulously exploring these themes through two primary methods: fabric collages and fabric-wrapped sculptures. His journey of incorporating fabric into sculptural works dates back 15 years. This transformative journey was catalyzed by a deeply poignant experience near his studio where he bore witness to the selective harvesting of valuable trees, while others, deemed non-valuable, were callously discarded, leaving an indelible impact on him. It was profoundly disheartening to see trees brimming with life being torn apart simply because they lacked commercial worth. This profound experience stirred within him a powerful impulse to initiate an artistic act of wrapping discarded wood with fabric, serving as a symbolic gesture of nurturing discarded life and healing wounds. This profound artistic practice gradually evolved, culminating in the creation of figure sculptures crafted from cardboard and enrobed in fabric. This marked a significant turning point in his artistic journey, particularly underscored by the unveiling of A New Life (Man) in 2019. Notably, all the works showcased in this exhibition are uniformly titled A New Life, each accompanied by subtitles that intricately reference the subjects portrayed. This thematic coherence serves to underscore the overarching theme and conceptual framework that characterizes YOON Seok-koo's recent works. A New Life, a title evocative of notions such as revival or rebirth, serves as a poignant encapsulation of the thematic, conceptual, and methodological essence of his recent artistic endeavors. The underlying intention behind A New Life can be succinctly summarized as follows: to orchestrate a transformative ritual, wherein discarded objects bearing wounds are metaphorically endowed with new life through the act of enveloping them in fabric, thereby prompting profound contemplation on what is morally correct amidst the backdrop of our materialistic era. Through such compelling artistic expressions, YOON Seok-koo ultimately aspires to provoke profound introspection and contemplation on the ethical dilemmas that pervade our materialistic society.2
In his latest works, YOON Seok-koo explores two distinct series: one involves 'reinterpretations' of his existing pieces, while the other incorporates recycled ready-made materials sourced from his surroundings. YOON Seok-koo's innovative approach involves affixing various fabrics onto his previous artworks, thereby altering their original appearance and significance, ultimately giving rise to entirely new creations that captivate the imagination. Utilizing materials such as wood, terracotta, and predominantly fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) - a groundbreaking material for sculpture during the 1970s and 80s - YOON Seok-koo has fashioned oversized, contorted human forms that delve into existential inquiries regarding human strife and anguish. During the mid-1990s, amidst conflicting visions of a utopian future propelled by biotechnological advancements and mounting concerns over genetic manipulation, YOON Seok-koo responded by crafting large-scale fruits and vegetables. These pieces, molded and artificially colored using synthetic resin, served as a stark warning against the genetic alteration of nature and the cultivation of new strains, while simultaneously critiquing capitalism's relentless pursuit of materialism and desire
In his reinterpretations, YOON Seok-koo presents works such as A NEW LIFE (Apple 2) (2019), A NEW LIFE (Fruits) (2020), A NEW LIFE (Banana) (2021), A NEW LIFE (Venus of Willendorf) (2022), and numerous others. For example, A NEW LIFE (Man 1) and A NEW LIFE (Man 2) (2020) offer fresh perspectives on The Shackles of Humanity: Exploring the Burdens and Struggles of Being Human I and II, originally conceived in 1987. While inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's , YOON Seok-koo's 1987 pieces symbolically depict the human condition, ensnared within a circular frame, unable to break free. Through his sculptural representation of a man's figure from both frontal and rear angles, YOON Seok-koo emphasizes the notion of human entrapment within societal constructs and the psychological confines of existence, diverging from the purely scientific analysis associated with Leonardo da Vinci's work. This time, with his fabric-wrapped sculptures, YOON Seok-koo artfully juxtaposes the back of the sculpture with a blue fabric imprinted with diverse patterns, while the front features a red fabric piece, injecting whimsy into the original concept and transforming it into a new hermaphroditic figure. Similarly, (2019) reimagines a large apple sculpture showcased in the 1998 exhibition . This rendition presents a halved apple with its exposed section adorned with colorful fabric strips bearing abstract floral or concentric circle patterns, while the apple's skin and prominent seeds are enveloped in red fabric resembling a heart. Likewise, oversized vegetables such as cucumbers, eggplants, and potatoes are wrapped in single pieces of similarly colored fabric. While these reinterpretations retain the fundamental form and posture of the original figures, they strip away their initial connotations through the addition of fabric, enhancing the playful and sculptural allure of pop art.
In this series, the sculptures are wrapped in fabric, utilizing materials sourced from waste discarded in apartment complexes or unused ready-made items. The subjects encompass a broad spectrum, including furniture such as chairs, tables, and sofas, alongside children's play equipment like bicycles and toy cars, and artistic objects like plaster statues and easels. Each piece is meticulously enveloped in fabric, with colors and patterns thoughtfully selected to complement the subject and evoke the desired atmosphere. For instance, children's bicycles and toy cars are adorned with fluorescent fabrics featuring vibrant patterns, reflecting the lively and dynamic movements of children and channeling the playful spirit of Pop art. In , the theme of human conflict and reconciliation is symbolically portrayed through chairs in contrasting black and white hues, alongside tables harmonized with two colors to signify harmony and balance. On the other hand, invokes an unsettling and eerie feeling with a figure sculpture seemingly imprisoned within a mirror, its easel wrapped in fabric while the rest of the mirror frame, a ready-made product, remains exposed. This piece captivates viewers' attention by deliberately leaving certain parts of the sculpture unwrapped, thus emphasizing the persisting hierarchical distinction between fine art, which holds high esteem in the art world, and ready-made or finely crafted products often relegated to a lower status.
Indeed, techniques akin to YOON Seok-koo's fabric-wrapped sculptures aren't entirely novel. The incorporation of cloth in contemporary art isn't an uncommon practice. The utilization of fabric in contemporary art owes much to the legacy of feminist art and the 1970s Pattern & Decoration (P&D) movement. This movement challenged the prevailing artistic norms that sharply delineated between fine art and commercially produced items, or between fine craftsmanship and what was considered 'high art'. Particularly, it was feminist artists who initially highlighted the gender biases embedded in the relegation of decorative arts, like fabric-wrapped creations, to a lower status. They actively worked to subvert these hierarchical distinctions by integrating textile patterns into their artistic expressions. While the hierarchical dichotomy between fine art and commercially made goods or fine craftsmanship persists to some extent, fabric-wrapped artworks have emerged as a significant creative avenue within contemporary art, championed by numerous feminist artists. YOON Seok-koo's fabric-wrapped pieces are situated within this historical and social context. His creations not only captivate aesthetically, harnessing the visual allure of fabric through an array of colors and patterns but also carry a poignant social commentary. They critique and contemplate materialism, imbuing them with a depth that transcends mere decoration, transforming them into meaningful artworks with substantial social resonance.
YUN Suknam has dedicated herself to advocating a feminist vision aimed at achieving an egalitarian society, shedding light on women's history, and empowering women to reclaim their voices. In contrast, YOON Seok-koo has delved into grappling with the fundamental question of morality amidst the pervasive influence of materialism in contemporary society. Despite the divergence in their artistic paths and thematic concerns, I discern a profound similarity in the underlying ethos shared by both artists – a profound concern for the human condition and the natural world.
While YUN Suknam's work champions gender equality and amplifies the voices of marginalized communities, YOON Seok-koo's art delves into the ethical implications of materialistic pursuits, reflecting a shared commitment to nurturing compassion and environmental stewardship. If pressed to encapsulate the essence of their collective artistic endeavors spanning decades, I would characterize it as a form of art that preserves empowerment and redemption, both for marginalized individuals and the broader socio-cultural landscape.
1 Interview with YUN Suknam and YOON Seok-koo at their studio in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, on February 20, 2024
2 Refer to YOON Seok-koo’s author's note dated early February 2024.
