「Salty Edge」

Much of Min jung’s work is assumed upon the relation with the medium, that is, the materials used. This is because of the delicate and sensitive nature of the han ji (traditional Korean paper), predominantly used by the artist, which demands a close understanding and communication with the materials. In her works, there’s a fluidity beneath the delicate surface of these traditional mediums,enabling spontaneous expression of gestures. For instance, in recent piece like “A Flow of frozen breath,” Min jung contrasts the weight and chilliness of glass with the lightness and delicacy previously projected onto han ji. Her new works evoke a sense of weight and presence within the painting, employing a collection of lines that follow the innate rhythm and logic of pictorial language.In the solo exhibition “Salty Edge” at Gallery Kabinett, visitors can explore an expanded horizon of Min jung’s work. By directly reciting and recording Virginia Woolf’s novels in the preliminary process the artist departed from the previoustendency of obsessively refining emotions before beginning work, result in a raw and authentic representation of emotions. Through this experimental approach, mental images are transformed into tangible lines, revealing a deeper layer of emotional expression. This transformation is not only evident in the artist’s relationship with her work but also in the very essence of the artwork and its surroundings. On the canvas, shifts in color initiated by the use of vermilion ink,mark the beginning of a series of changes. Unlike previous series of traditional Eastern paintings, where lines clearly delineated their starting and ending points to convey time and space values, the new series exhibits a sharper and more dynamic utilization of lines, emphasizing speed and energy. The inherented fragility and lightness of han ji (traditional Korean paper) and the images themselves undergo a profound metamorphosis, emerging as a primal and vivid pictorial language.This transformation positions Min jung Key as a sharp edge or boundary, constantly balancing and evoking images like a medium, thereby transcending the confines of conventional artistic expression.This artistic progression extends beyond the canvas, becoming more apparent in the surrounding environment where the work exist. This is the result of Contemplating the spatial existence of oriental painting as well as the absorption of weight into the aesthetic experience. Even at the stage of mounting silk, one of the display methods of Eastern painting, by directly applying colors to its sides,the canvas transcends two-dimensionality to become an active exhibition spaces,firmly establishing themselves in the material realm.Unlike the flat painting series that emphasized surface concentration, Min Jung Key’s glass work has evolved into a contemporary form with a distinct context. In her solo show, she presents glass pieces processed by arranging remaining fragments of unused Han ji, pressed intercalary, in specific postures between two plates of glass. Using glue as a medium for drawing, she leaves behind painting traces. This technique creates an impression of something caught in the wind, preserved permanently and imbued with a tangible sense of physical weight and presence. Through this intervention in specific situations and contexts, Min Jung Key imbues her exploration of traditional Eastern painting mediums, images, and the fragility of inner essence or existence itself with temporality, transforming them as if orchestrating a scene in a theatrical play.