Artist Statement:
Sang Sik Hongs' work is all made by hand; each straw or noodle is hand placed, a contrast to the technology we live in today. The softness of the acrylic he paints behind the straws or noodles creates a precise beauty that embodies Hong's work. The totality of Hong’s work would not be as fresh and uninterrupted had a machine made it. His emotions and personal desires go into making each piece. Hong’s sculptures go beyond the limit of the materials; the images of lips may be interpreted as symbols of desire.
Connecting such symbolized images and symbolic meanings (power and sex) reveals clearly that his interest is focused on human desires.
“Although every one desires power, only a few of people can have it. Power is the symbol of strength and the object for one’s wish since it accompanies many interests. Power is strong, scarce and heading toward eternity. However, the straw, contrary to the properties of power, is
a weak structure, easily available to anyone for it is produced on a large scale and a disposable material.” His wit symbolizes semantic relationships and the structure of desires connotes the pathos of reality.
CV
B.F.A. in Art Education & M.F.A. in Sculpture, Mokwon University
The Korean Figurative Sculpture Association,
Korean Relief Association, Mokwon Sculpture Association,
Daejeon Sculptor Association
Exhibitions
2018-2020
"At First Sight" - Krause Gallery, New York
Art Chicago (Chicago, USA)
ArtHamptons Fine Art Fair (Hamptons,USA)
Scope (NY USA)
(Opera Gallery, Seoul)
2017-2018
Scope NY - Krause Gallery NYC
ArtHamptons Fine Art Fair (Hamptons,USA)
Breath - (Deajeon Museum of Art)
Enlighten - (Gallery Lotte, Seoul)
2016-2017
Body Talk - Krause Gallery, New York
artnews (Opera Gallery, Singapore)
ArtMRKT Hamptons (Hamptons,USA)
Straws (Feellink Gallery, Seoul)
2015-2016
22nd century - Krause Gallery NYC
Art Chicago (Chicago, USA)
Art-Mrkt San Francisco (San Francisco, USA)
K-Pop Art. (Opera Gallery, Singapore)
Scope NYC – Krause Gallery
New World (Space SSEE, Deajeon)
2013-2014
Krause Gallery, New York
Scope NY2012 (scope pavilion, New York)
ArtHamptons Fine Art Fair (Hamptons,USA)
2012
Rehab (Opera Gallery, Seoul)
Scope NY2012 (scope pavilion, New York)
Spoon art fair (grand Hilton, Hong Kong)
Temporal being (Edwin’s gallery, Jakarta)
Art Edition (COEX, Seoul)
Art & cook (Sejong art Center, Seoul)
22 Century’ (Open Space Bae, Busan)
2011
K-Pop Art. (Opera Gallery, Singapore)
Art Chicago (Chicago, USA)
Beyond Limits (Sinsegae Gallery,Busan)
ArtMRKT Hamptons (Hamptons,USA)
Art-Mrkt San Francisco (San Francisco, USA)
ArtHamptons Fine Art Fair (Hamptons,USA)
The Artist Brand. (Gamo Gallery. Seoul)
Head and shoulders knees and toes (Cyan Museum, Daegu)
2010
GRAND WEAVER (Gana Art, Seoul/Busan)
RE formers (Opera Gallery, Seoul)
Media and The Imagination-The World of Convergence and Innovation
(Ewha Art Center, Seoul)
Light 2010 (Gwangju Museum of Art)
Public Art-New Hero Fly in Heyri (The Chai gallery, Hayri)
Next Art Fair (Chicago, USA)
Busan Binenale-”Open to you”–Blissful encounter
(Open Space Bae, Busan)
Archive House (Space SSEE, Deajeon)
Entrusts the face (Kolon Tower, Seoul)
Make! Break! Make! (Lina Gallery, Seoul)
Plastic Paradise (Cheongju Art Studio)
Another My Ego (Kwanhoon Gallery, Seoul)
A4 Demo (Tomato, Deajeon)
Collage World (Jeju Museum of Art)
2010 How much (Open Space Bae, Busan)
Modern Art, Asks a Identity (Pusan National University Art Center)
Fool Bloom (Feellink Gallery, Seoul)
The discovery of objects (KAF Museum, Busan)
Unexpected art (Gallery Lotte, Deajeon)
2009
Processing of Art (Deajeon Museum of Art)
Enlightenment Archive (JaHa Museum, Seoul)
Living Furniture (Cheong Art Studio)
Blue-Dot ASIA 2009 (Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul)
Inside Kitty (Seongnam Art Center)
CRAFT & SCLUPTURE (Deajeon Museum of Art)
2008
Exciting Art Museum (Gyeongnam Art Museum)
Kitty S. (63Sky Art Gallery, Seoul)
Up To The Minute (Korea Art Gallery, Busan)
Can you see it? (Bukchon Art Museum, Seoul)
Artist’s Wit (Alternative Space Chung Jeong Gak)
Seoul Living Design Fair 2008 ‘Salon De Living Art’ (COEX Atlantic Hall)
Imaginative Power, Power Plant 2008 (Ulsan Hyundai Arts center)
Freeze…Thaw! (Gallery Zandari, Seoul)
Local to Local-It meets Daejeon from Busan (Open Space Bae, Busan)
Traditi. Market Art Festival Project ShowsⅡ (Daejeon Jungang Market)
2007
Art & Play-funsters (Seoul Arts Center Hangaram Art Museum)
Art in Daegu 2007-Wind of basin (Daegu region)
Pocheon Asia Binenale (Pocheon Banwol Art Center)
Flowing Art, Gapcheon (Daejeon Gapcheon region)
The Story of Seongnam (Seongnam Art Center)
One + One (Touch Art Gallery, Hayri)
Daedong Public Art Project (Daejeon Daedong)
Net Work 21C (Sori Arts Center of Jeollabuk-do)
Traditi. Market Art Festival Project Shows (Daejeon Jungang Market)
2006
Busan Binenale-Living Furniture (Busan Haeundae)
Ha Jung Woong Young Artist Prize Award-Light 2006 (Gwangju Museum of Art)
1st Cheonggye Arts Festival-The Soaring of An Ugly Ducking
(Cheonggye Open Space)
2005 Invitation to Six Open Studios (Deajeon Museum of Art)
2004 Conversional Spring (Deajeon Museum of Art)
2003 Life and Humor of Today (Sejong Center)
2002 Memorial Exhibition of the Comprehensive Publication in Korean Modern Art
(Insa Art Plaza)
-Awards
2010 2010 Public Art Artist
2009 Seokju Cultural Foundation Artist
2006 Ha Jung Woong Young Artist Prize Award-Light 2006
Solo Exhibitions
2011 Sang-Sik Hong’s exhibition (Gallery Lotte, Deajeon)
2010 Sang-Sik Hong’s exhibition (Morris Gallery, Deajeon)
2009 Magic Straw (Touch Art Gallery, Hayri)
2008 34years (Spacemom Museum of Art, Cheongju)
2007 re……. (Gallery Lotte, Deajeon)
2006 Point, Line, Plane……. (Gallery Space DSA, Deajeon)
2004 Noodles Day (Gallery Daehakro 21C, Deajeon)
2003 Sang-Sik Hong’s sculpture exhibition (KBS hall, Deajeon)
In modern art, the material has greater significance than any other times. As modern art can be expressed as the war against materials, the material is important in modern art. In particular, the materials in the cubic work in which the property of the matter is emphasized play more special roles. Thus, it is natural for the material itself to become the artistic work. From this perspective, the works of Sang-Sik Hong built with straws are very interesting. It seems to be insufficient for the material as it is easily bent and delivers very little sense of mass. Then, why should the material be the straw? To this question of his material choice, Sang-Sik Hong answered simply by saying “if you rub a section of the noodle, the noodle pushed out of the other side makes all kinds of shape through the undulations. This childhood play was the beginning of my work”. However, the material ‘straw’ chosen from his childhood play shows noticeable characteristics in his works.
First, the plenty of straws cumulated to shape a figure create a space image in the opposite side segmented as an infinite circle by being penetrated visually through the empty structure, Furthermore, since each of the segmented spaces contained in the straw hole embraces its own space like the camera lens, thousands of spaces are accumulated in his work. Beyond the general definition that the cube is the art of space, his work consists of the assembled individual spaces. This is the result of combining the perfect understanding of the characteristics of the material chosen by the artist and curiosity stemming from the childhood play, which is the attractive visual entertainment.
Second, a circle-shaped visual point is formed at the place on the surface where the eyes reaches. This point is linked not only to the shadow more highlighted than other surface but also to the penetrating background to display the background color as it is spread out. This interesting phenomenon seen like aurora or moire creates a pleasant visual effect to change the location as the spectators change their location to watch it. This phenomenon makes the spectators naturally change their location, which creates an interesting scene in which the spectators move and walk around the work. The fact that the basic material ‘straw’ suggests the possibility that it can induce more efficient interactions between the spectators and the work than the media arts using electronic sensors allows us to invest Sang-Sik Hong with the icon of ‘straw’.
If there is only form of immersion into the material without contents, it will not be sufficient enough. If there are contents without form, it will be insufficient as well. The aspects of form and material were reviewed in the above. Thus, the question is raised naturally out of the curiosity regarding whether the contents are well balanced with them. We may watch only the surface of the straws cumulated plainly on the white, even and low-relief surface of the work. The images built as if they show the contour lines with the subtle undulations by the white or single colored straws are revealing the figures sometimes clearly or secretively depending on the view point. The representative images include the lips, chair, high-heel, woman in nude and flower. All of these may be the representative symbols of desire. Thus, they are unconscious intention and interest of the artist even though they are all unintentional.
Connecting the symbolized images such as chair, female’s genital looking flower, lips and body to the symbolic meanings (power and sex) will reveal clearly that his interest is focused on the desires.
● Although every one desires power, only a few of people can have it. Power is the symbol of strength and the object for one’s wish since it accompanies many interests. Power is strong, scarce and heading toward eternity. However, the straw, contrary to the properties of power, is a weak structure, easily available to anyone for it is produced on a large scale and a disposable material. The motive of his works is to create various meanings by connecting the contradictory networks of meaning. The special taste is the works of Sang-Sik Hong lies in the process to expand the surface meaning of the material to the paradoxical symbolic meaning creating various meanings. His whit to symbolize the semantic relationships and the structure of desires connotes the pathos of reality.
● In addition, the plenty of straws constituting the lips in the work ‘Sucking’ is telling the present progressive form of our desires that we have progressed in the past and will progress in the future. The desire in the work “Peeping” to recapitulate the peeping eyes can be interpreted as our self-portraits to enjoy many visual objects for desires. The artist seduces the reality in conflicts with the desires that plays more strongly as we try to dilute them in his works like plays. Since the seduction provides the opportunity for philosophical and meaningful thoughts, it is not difficult but pleasant for fresh interpretation. As the feeling we can get from an essay written by well-connected words, his work delivers the feeling of visually fresh essay in which each point of the straws are well connected with each other.
● By realizing more advanced cubic and details beyond the relief in his works, he shows his fresh attempts to go beyond the limit of the materials and to implement various experiments using the lightings. But, it seems he needs persistent efforts to maintain the balance to avoid the reduction of the contents and meanings by excessive ornamentation. In particular, as the play becomes dull when you get used to it, he needs more research on the contents and meanings. These sense of balance and efforts will make his works differentiated from others compared to the sophisticated ornaments or objets.
● Through the many straws located naturally depicting the free contour lines in the exhibition space, various desires and flavors can be tasted. In addition, it is the magic of Sang-Sik Hong indulged into the straw play to watch the self-portrait confronting the desires.