Seongsan Art Hall

Shim Jung-soo, A Buddhist Dance, 2003, cloth, paper, 50 × 320 × 60 cm

Shim Jung-soo’s work moves between man-made and natural objects, reconsidering the relationship between nature and humans. He has been exploring the definition and bounds of a Korean sculptural language since his time as a member of the “Reality and Utterance” collective in the 1980s. Borne of this context, A Buddhist Dance — a paper sculpture over three meters across — demonstrates the artist’s interest in movement through space. At the same time, the expression of the hem of the monk’s robe and the shape of the hat speak both to the seriousness of the piece and his own love for mankind.

 

Seongsan Art Hall

Shim Jung-soo, Flint, 1996, wood, 25 × 160 × 15 cm
Shim Jung-soo, Wood Fish 3, 1992, wood, 110 × 83 × 15 cm

Wood Fish 3, which refers to the wooden fish found in Buddhist temples, shares this same concern and calls for an awakening around life and the environment. Flint, engraved in the shape of a fish bone like a naturally occurring fossil, invites us to imagine yet another story in this same context.

 

ChangwonCity Masan MoonShin Art Museum

Shim Jung-soo, The West Coast, 1985, F.R.P and mixed materials, 60 × 60 × 60 cm ( × 5pcs )

The West Coast is one of a series of works related to the mud flats along Korea’s western coastline. From a human perspective, these mud flats are dark and dangerous territory; but from the perspective of other creatures, these are full, rich ecosystems. Focusing on how the environmental conditions of life for fish become, for humans, either a natural disaster or a resource to be exploited, Shim begins to explore the story of life along the western coast.