Kyunglim Lee : Jahyun Seo
June July August September October
Kyunglim Lee:
Perhaps the ultimate problem in life is ‘getting out of yourself.’
Problems that are not resolved until the end...
In relationships with others, in relationships with oneself...
What I feel from this object I find while walking down the street remorse!!
The self has become empty and distorted!
As if contemplating myself, I encounter this object.
Jahyun Seo:
October.17th, 2023
In the midst of adapting to the time difference and being busy with work and lecture preparations after returning to Korea, I began my October engagements by conversing with author Kyunglim Lee on October 17th. We share many similarities, such as being of a similar age, immigrating to the United States around the same time, and our children getting married in the same period, not to mention our deep Christian faith. Our conversations always start with the well-being, health, and faith of our families. In this meeting, we discussed wrapping up the '“Thefarawaynearby” exhibition and talked about the art fair and an upcoming resurrection exhibition planned for 2024. We reminisced about our joint exhibition in Chelsea in 2018 and explored the possibility of having a future exhibition that embodies the spirit of Easter at Saint Peter's Church. With the pressure of an impending lecture presentation and a tight schedule, I suggested that we get back in touch after my lecture had concluded.
October.31st, 2023
Today's Zoom Meeting began at the home of Kyunglim Lee 's mother, with a painting by Kyunglim Lee in the background. She looked tired from her travels, and I knew we had to wrap up our conversation quickly, so I asked her how the exhibition "Thefarawaynearby" was coming along. She told me that she had recently been intrigued by the flat bottle caps lying on the streets and was planning to make a work based on them. I, on the other hand, told her that I was going to stick to my original plan and use photography, painting, and media to show my thoughts on bridges in the form of travelling between New York and Seoul.
June July August September October
Kyunglim Lee:
Mom is a cushion that you can lean on and press on when you need to. When I looked at the heavily dented cushions, I felt like I was looking at my daughter who had immigrated to study and earn pocket money by working. While I was working, my daughter passed by and spoke to me. “Oh my, the work is so pretty, it has the feel of mom’s work. “It looks like mom is resting on the cushion.” I didn't explain my intention to my daughter, but I think she felt that way. Mothers cannot help but relax because their daughters become infinitely soft when they are comfortable, but change suddenly when times are difficult.
Jahyun Seo:
September 11th, 2023
Online Meeting
Online Meeting
Recent Art News
Before I left for the U.S. on September 15, we chatted online to catch up on our busy lives. We talked about our personal opinions of Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul in Korea, artists' stories, and art world trends. We concluded our conversation by saying that we would meet in the US soon to talk more.
Conversation topics: buying artworks before the art fair starts, partying, toadyism, Cronyism, flunkeyism, fake sell stickers, lighting of Frieze Seoul and Kiaf Seoul, level of collectors, what is shown, why focus on performing artists and artists from 1960-1970, reasonable doubt, preparation, and work of galleries.
September 15th, 2023
Offline Meeting
Unexpected meeting and meal
I arrived at JFK Airport in New York. When I got through the immigration process quickly an arrived at my hotel, I got a call from Mrs. Lee saying she was near my hotel. I had an early dinner with Mrs. Lee and her husband before unpacking my luggage. I ate so much that I was full. Sleeping gave me my half-day jet lag, which quickly disappeared.
Conversation topics: the cost of living in Manhattan, staying in a church, public library exhibits, installations, selling art in museums, the Korean economy and society, and their children.
September 20th, 2023
Online meeting
Online meeting
After the installation at the public library in Soho, We talked about next year's 'thefarawaynearby' exhibition. We discussed new works, their time to complete them, and how I plan to expand my digital and analog work and media practice. In the middle of the conversation, we talked about the Resurrection Exhibition that we exhibited in 2018 and shared various thoughts on what it would be like to continue working together on the Resurrection Exhibition in the future.
Conversation topics: 'thefarawaynearby' exhibition, Easter, work direction, common ground, week-long relay exhibition, an exhibition between two people, exhibition of four groups, curator, space, final work, space.
September 22nd, 2023
Offline meeting
Offline meeting
Visit the A.I.R. Gallery
We watched two exhibitions that the curator recommended as must-sees and talked about the direction of the work for 'thefarawaynearby' exhibition. We talked about the small records in the work process and the various narratives left in the work through them and asked them to reorganize whether the current directions are correct and to think about the connection between the narratives they create. We asked them to think more about the intersection through communication for about six months to create works that could capture it.
Conversation topics: Canal Project, Guggenheim, Korean artists, works made by assistants and works not made by assistants, Tina Kim Gallery, corporate art foundations, supporters, artists being made, are they really great artists or are they being made to be great, new and unfamiliar works, expanding perceptions, the structure of the art world.
June July August September October
Kyunglim Lee:
Crumpled Cushion! The image of me that was pushed down to play the role of a mother, in
any human relationship before that
It's an endless concession that I couldn't do that.
On the cushions, things related to housewives and housework were drawn.
It seems to be gradually disappearing. I wanted to make it a bit more exaggerated.
In a way, from the time I open my eyes in the morning until I go to bed again, I wipe, make,
clean, and pile something up, make it, set it up, feed it, water it to keep it alive...
Crumpled Cushion! The image of me that was pushed down to play the role of a mother, in
any human relationship before that
It's an endless concession that I couldn't do that.
On the cushions, things related to housewives and housework were drawn.
It seems to be gradually disappearing. I wanted to make it a bit more exaggerated.
In a way, from the time I open my eyes in the morning until I go to bed again, I wipe, make,
clean, and pile something up, make it, set it up, feed it, water it to keep it alive...
June July August September October
Kyunglim Lee:
.
Living in New York City gives me the opportunity to see great artworks in person that I would otherwise only find in books or magazines and convenient access to the best museums by bus or subway.
Among my favorite art museums is the outdoor area on the 8th floor of Whitney Museum of Art!
The view of the city, Manhattan, from there.
I came from Seoul, a city nestled among mountains. But here, I can see Manhattan and the Hudson River framed by skyscrapers. When I am there, I feel liberated.
Jahyun Seo:
Love and Emotion_Parents and Children/ Faith/Illness
In July, I had a conversation with Kyunglim about love, emotions, parental love, responsibility, and changing perspective by aging from a point of view in the faith of Christianity.
We had a regular Zoom meeting every week for an hour in July. A lot of it was about our daily struggles and exchanging emotions. We expressed our Christian faith and how it helped us see the beauty and meaning of life, even when things were hard. I have been working on some digital drawings to show my gratitude for the love and guidance we received from our spiritual parents and the love we gave to our children.
June July August September October
Kyunglim Lee:
Mom is an emotional-garbage collector!
It’s like a cushion that you’ve been pressing against
Three-dimensional cardboard cushion or two-dimensional work.
Mom is an emotional-garbage collector!
It’s like a cushion that you’ve been pressing against
Three-dimensional cardboard cushion or two-dimensional work.
Seo and I moved to New York around the same time working on different projects. We had a two-person show together in 2018 and we meet regularly to encourage each other’s work. We both have children who go to college and one of our children got married recently around the same time.
Being a mother is the most difficult job in the world!
It was the most emotionally difficult time when I moved to the United States with my daughter who was about to go to college. It was quite challenging for us to adapat to the new surroundings and there were many obstacles we had to face. We were just too overwhemed by many obstacles and we were not able to allow each other.As a mother, I had to suppress my feelings and frustrations while caring for my daughter. I mirrored myself to the saggy cushion that took any external forces.
I had to put myself in a position of humility before God and offer up a prayer.
Going beyond my boundaries is one of the most challenging aspects of life. After I talked with Seo, I believe it's a natural phenomenon that occurs in everyone’s life in different ways. It would be a process of being a mature person. Being a mother is not something that comes naturally...
My son's wedding was in June, and I made a work of art based on the subject matter at hand. I previously worked on 12 pieces for the exhibition Birth and Resurrection in 2014. However, the Marriage at Cana was not part of the series, therefore, I wanted to work on the piece with the desire for a miracle to occur at my son’s wedding.
We also talked about how much distance we should keep from our married children. I also thought that we should respect each other’s space and be open-minded. Immigration brought me not only a language barrier, I found less opportunities to show my work in the states. However, I am grateful to be able to see many masterpieces in New York.
I'm currently working on a work that I observed New York from the Whitney Museum.
Jahyun Seo: