Contemporary artist and film director Jung Jae-won, who has worked across various fields including painting, sculpture, installation, and film, held his first solo exhibition in Korea, "The Scene: Cinematic Moment," from July 17 to 21 at the Gimpo CICA Museum.
Jung Jae-won concluded the exhibit "The Scene: Cinematic Moment" by noting, "In this exhibition, I aimed to express and explore the system of creation and annihilation by emphasizing the contemplation of space along with time. I want to reflect on the moment with each work and train the present. Moreover, I aim for my own existence to be both a question and an answer, a tool and a concept."
Although Jung is already well-known in the art circles of New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, this marks his first introduction in Korea. Before this first solo exhibition in Korea, he began to establish himself as an invited artist at various prestigious competitions in New York and continued to engage in monochrome abstract painting to clearly focus on his artistic intentions.
Jung’s works, while being monochrome abstract paintings, feature the characteristic of simplifying spatial forms from a sculptural perspective and developing painterly traits. Additionally, he attempted to philosophically approach his work by discussing Heidegger's ontology, which grants fundamental existence to the essence of the objects themselves, along with Gilles Deleuze's theory of time, evoking thoughts of artists Lee Ufan and Lee Bae.
The exhibition featured not only Jung’s recent painting and photography works but also some of his earlier pieces. Visitors could experience unique works that explore the relationships of space and time, showcasing outstanding conceptualization. The works were filled with traces of exploring the spatiotemporal world through screens that changed based on the relationships of elements constructed within the light or appeared differently depending on volume. Furthermore, Jung’s genuine and vivid works, created through his poetic and philosophical metaphors and interpretations, complemented textures and light changes using traditional Korean paper printing methods, delivering a "cinematic moment" to the audience.
A representative noted, "Jung is already attracting great interest from major media and the domestic and international art markets by exploring black as his own vocabulary in the realm that exists at the boundary of time tenses. The powerful works created through his persistence and patience continue to receive consistent attention and encouragement from the audience while he is heading towards a deeper essence, trying to identify the poetic and philosophical works he creates with his philosophy of life."
Jung studied fine arts in various artistic fields such as painting, photography, and film at Yonsei University’s Law School in Seoul, the School of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). He expressed plans for future student mentorship sessions based on his experiences working in New York, along with upcoming group exhibitions and art fair schedules in New York and Korea, as well as plans for entering the European art market.
Attention is on the future endeavors and potential of Jung Jae-won, who continues to grow from a law student to a film director and contemporary artist while building his own philosophical and visual vocabulary. He delves deeply into the essence of painting and rigorously explores what, why, and how to express, thereby garnering support for his serious artistic approach.