September, 2024. In response to Kazumi Tanaka and Jayoung Yoon
Minji Chun is an art critic, curator, and translator based in Oxford, UK and Seoul, Korea. She is interested in overlooked histories and spaces.Â
Webiste www.minjiswriting.xyz
Thank you for sharing your insightful and beautiful conversations. Reading through your exchange, I was struck by the delicate interplay between permanence and impermanence woven through your reflections—whether it’s the fading of a chrysanthemum ink drawing or the intricate challenges of finding the right materials for weaving.
The other day, I found myself walking past the remnants of what was once a castle near where I live. Its walls, now weathered and crumbling, stood as a testament to time’s quiet, inevitable power. Your words brought me to reflect on these parallels:Â
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  Kingdoms, castles, and dynasties, once thought to be eternal, eventually crumble before time, leaving behind only a fragile shell. How many sunsets did they witness together during their reign? What promises might they have whispered while gazing at the moon reflected on the lake? When the time came to part, perhaps they couldn’t even say their final farewells. Now, all that remains is rust, farewells, and death—but in this beautiful landscape, it feels permissible to forget those tragedies, even if just for a moment, as we recall their stories.
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  The traces of melted curves may seem fragile, but what remains is still unyielding. That’s why I hesitate to call this place a ruin. Night after night must have passed here, and every memory from that time has surely layered itself until it reached this present moment. Time, equally given to all, has simply flowed differently here. Even before these weathered walls, moments that have not been bent out of shape still fill the air.
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  So, rather than mourning the loss of a complete past, I choose to celebrate the stories carved by time—stories that have melted even the stones. In these days when ruin feels within reach, I can say that I am unafraid to meet death whenever it comes because I have lived with these shining stories hidden in the cracks. The fleeting illusions of eternity and permanence quietly flow into a dimensionless world.
Once again, thank you both for the opportunity to witness your thoughts!
Warm regards,Â
Minji