Sunyoung Shin

Lives and works in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea

Artist statement

Harmony of Opposites My work begins with the collision between the original self and the values that the external world injects into it. I regard this collision as a form of opposition, and expand it into broader concepts: the individual and other people or society, human and nature, the organic and the mechanical, the micro and the macro. For me, art is not a representation of one’s emotions or other subjects; rather, it explores the essence of the harmony that existence pursues through the deconstruction and combination of opposites. Before I start painting, I meditate deeply yet briefly for three to five minutes. During this time, I continually imagine the collision of asteroids and the birth and disappearance of stars. Afterward, dynamic music surrounds me, and the work begins spontaneously. Pure improvisation occurs at every moment, and this attitude is one of the most important elements that allow me to reach my unconscious and essence. In particular, opposing elements are expressed through black and white, contrasts of complementary colors, the velocity of brushstrokes, and differences in the thickness of the paint. Every work also contains a center, which signifies the effort to move toward the harmony that all existence pursues beyond discord. Overall, my work takes the form of abstract art created through order and collapse, and it extends across painting, drawing, and video.

Artwork