"Now Here" Painter Park Daa Won
Written by Park
Rhai-kyoung
1.
Park Daa Won’s
bold and decisive strokes have no reservation, leaving little room for
compromise. Her recent series <Now Here> suggests her aims and pursuit in
her artistic career. Although it varies - swift or delayed, firm or fluid –
the basis in fundamental energy is implied from the tips of her powerful brushstrokes.
Here, no world of phenomena is hinted, no world of objects is implied - neither
in organic or inorganic form. It is, without doubt, a form of abstraction. This
calls for clarification of some points. That is, we can hardly approach her
paintings from general theories of abstraction. Park’s
abstract paintings cannot be but understood by intuition as the works embody the
artist’s thoughts and meditation on her
relationship with the universe, nature, others and self. Thus, assuming that
each abstract works contains the figurative world she has long been concerned
with, we are impelled to approach her paintings differently. Unconsciously, we
fall into levels of tension, waiting for the unexpected appearance of a line or
dot containing implications for the figurative world. In other words, Park’s
canvas frames embody spontaneity. Park Daa Won's <Now Here> series
feature a space of encounter with the universe or nature or others, that
enables us to receive her body of works with heightened pleasure, and naturally
adopt a deeper understanding of her perspectives. Mobilizing intuition rather
than logic expedites our comprehension of Park’s
paintings.
Art of Dansaekhwa / Now here in Blue / Park Daa Won
Achieving such
high levels of sentiments with Park’s paintings also
corresponds with the accumulation of the artist’s
endeavors. Let us examine her works again. We see dots and lines laid out
randomly on the canvas and the spaces between dots or lines arranged at
intervals on the canvas surface. We interpret her canvas as being in the state
of breathing chasms or developing into some invisible space occupied by wave of
light or the resonance of rhythm.
Park’s
works are not necessarily planned a
priori or intended for some formative configuration; rather, her
coincidental brush touches aim at some unique forms enabled by some sort of
spirituality. For example, such passionate calligraphic gestures, or strong
brush strokes, are unleashed freely onto the canvas surface accompanied by a composed
and reserved state-of-mind. These contradicting attributes of the formative
elements converge in the same space. Coexistence of contingency and certainty
is combined with synchronicity of freedom and control; and these series of
events breathe life onto the flat surface, thereby escalating tension throughout
the canvas. These are evidence of the artist’s
intense efforts to control and manage a given framework.
In sum, Park
Daa Won’s canvas is built upon contradictory
elements – free yet controlled; heated yet
fluid; swift yet deliberate; empty yet abundant; and this adds a sort of ironic
vitality throughout the canvas frame. Such idiosyncrasies are uniquely supported
by a formative theory, providing a solid ground for her artistic practice.
Here, we should not forget that her paintings are
centered about her state of mind (much like a fiery furnace) - at times agonizing
over, at times meditating on life and the resonance of nature and the universe.
Here, the artist is the subject of such mental exercise as well as the object
thereof. The subject having such a state of mind falls into repose, emerging as
a truth seeker in preparation for her artistic enterprise. Park’s
artwork is completed through such extraordinary modus vivendi and artistic endeavor, like the <Now Here>
series created throughout the span of 2 years. These series can be regarded as
survivors of the artist’s mental struggle.
Art of Dansaekhwa /Now here -Becoming / Park Daa Won
2.
The affliction
over human existence has been inevitable to mankind ever since the beginnings
of social life. In extreme cases, such agony and nihilism leads to the
abandonment of life. Its counterpart is adopting a positive outlook on life, embracing
all its challenges. How and in what ways do the artists in all their acuity
make sense of their lives? In the case of Park Daa Won, who perceives her work as
"a course of filtering herself," two aspects seem to rise to the
surface; one is her inborn temperament, and the other is her childhood.
The straightforward
and orderly tendency inherent in her works are attributable to her inborn
temperament. We are especially reminded of her temperament when we search for
grounds on the spirituality of her works. In this context, Park Daa Won seems
to have a very strong sense of intuition as well as a strong sense of pride. It
is assumed that, indeed, most human beings born into a particular role is
entitled to respect, appreciation and love. As a result, an individual may end
up being too proud or self-conceited, but these matters can be resolved through
self-discipline. Likewise, Park Daa Won effectively
converts the negativity to positive energy and has equally strong control over
her emotions and sentiments. Close friends who are well-acquainted with Park
vouch for her intelligence and sagacity. In general, people grow increasingly
aware of the woes accompanied by the human life, which ultimately awakens a
whole new meaning of life hood. This is the point of spiritual enlightenment
and the heights of self-esteem.
Art of Dansaekhwa / Now here -Becoming / Park Daa Won
In her creative practice, Park Daa Won battles with
her inner-self to reclaim her self-esteem. In this process, she cultivates character,
and ultimately, an inner strength that acts as a driving force that leads her
to clarity and excellence. Such attitude is distinctive from her peers, as it
is not about the act of composing and perfecting form; rather, it is the act of
creating bold brush strokes visualizing her inner world onto the canvas.
Park Daa Won
was born in Daegu and studied fine arts at Yeungnam University. She grew up in
an environment where she received adequate support for cultivating her talents.
Her parents were well-versed in both Eastern and Western-style fine art with an
enormous collection of calligraphic works and books. Such plethora of creative
resources were part of her life, and nothing out of the ordinary. Park’s
mother aspired to teach her daughter the basics of the calligraphy, generously
supplying her daughter with quality Chinese drawing paper for her practices. At
that time, Seokje Suh Byoung Oh, Jukrong Suh Dong Gyun and other famous local
calligraphic artists were in their prime, meaning that Park grew up in the
pinnacle of Eastern paintings. As a freshman in college, Park happened to run
into Chusa Kim Jeong Hee's <Sehando
(A Cold Winter View)>. The incredible calligraphy of the virtuoso's
masterpieces made a lingering impression in the young woman’s
mind. It was neither empathy nor reaction; rather it a sense of trembling
sentiments and spiritual awe. Park Daa Won, who was said to have been in a
state of shock and terror by Chusa's brush strokes, gradually began to forget about
her initial impressions.
Art of Dansaekhwa / Now here -Becoming / Park Daa Won
These
sentiments would surface later, as the artist resumed her work on canvas. Her
fingertips gradually remembered of her teacher’s
admonition from her childhood, that "Every brushstroke begins from the mind."
In some sense, a brush stroke almost appears to be the next natural things to
occur on an empty canvas. Among her earlier realism paintings, some display hints
of surrealistic elements, which is only natural considering her artistic
background. These tendencies are worthy of note: After all, the results of Park’s
decade-long trials and errors is her own style featuring distinct methods and
forms. It was a journey to discovering of a whole new meaning of calligraphic
dots, lines and spaces.
3.
The symptoms
toward a new century, which began to emerge since the late 1990s, have shifted
our perspectives to optimistic directions and to pessimistic ones. The trust of
the endless scientific and technological development is unprecedented in human
history, presenting a rosy future for a more affluent life. On the other hand,
we live in an age of uncertainty, not being able to predict our future. Thus, as
helpless human beings, we have reverted to the fortune-telling superstition
which we pushed aside long ago. Today, there is a growing number of individuals
who regard objects as amulets that protect them from harm. Globalization of
financial economy demolish margins and borders of the sectors of life. Yet we
are faced with other implications: globalization of local culture divides the
world into blocks of newly generated hybridity of cultures. In this age of
chaos, local events are known real-time through the media, affecting our lives
daily.
Individuals
living in this age of uncertainty are constantly exposed to shocking,
unexpected events, triggering a longing to reclaim their peaceful state of
mind. The speculation and meditations often reserved as primary turfs for
philosophers, thinkers and religious leaders, have now become the major
concerns of the ordinary people in their everyday lives. Human dignity dangling
on the edge of the cliff of hope is gradually being diminished. The phrase, 'Salvation
of the soul,' which could be found in the manuscripts during the Medieval Age
in the history of Europe, is now being recited by the mass society, both
religious and non-religious. Current circumstances urge the artists to
reconsider their creative practices and to reevaluate the functions of art in
our day and age.
Art of Dansaekhwa / Now here in Blue / Park Daa Won
Here, we note
that, additionally, art can act as a force of consolation and therapy. Catch-phrases
such as 'Restoration of human love,' ‘Building a good
neighborhood,' 'Reclaiming the dignity of life' and the likes are championed in
the art world today. The irony here is that one life must be sacrificed for the
survival of other lives. Take animals and plants for example –
they give up their lives to nurture mankind in the form of food. They are
subjects worthy of our compassion. Profound and religious thoughts have focused
on finding resolutions for such dilemma of life without end.
In the art
community, it is widely believed that artists can critically communicate,
sympathize and share with others through their artistic expressions. From such
perspective, Park Daa Won's body of works are created in wide arrays, enough to
resonate softly with the world, embracing values and virtues of various people
groups. We see intuitively how her works affect people, especially in her
unique method of working from her mind. Park is confident that her works act as
filter or screen. Who are her audiences of value? As surrealist Andre Breton
once said, what he really wanted for his ideology was Oriental abstraction. If
Korean artist Park Daa Won can certify Breton's statement in her hyper-realistic
or surrealistic works, we may have to reassess the cultural landscape of Korean
contemporary art.
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