Tina Kim Gallery, New York, is hosting “Jeong 井,” a solo exhibition of recent works by Seoul-based artist Suki Seokyeong Kang.
The exhibition features installations, sculptures, and video works that reflect Kang’s study of Jeongganbo (井間譜), the traditional Korean musical notation system. First invented during the Joseon Dynasty, Jeongganbo is a method used to notate the pitch and length of time of notes within traditional orchestral music. Each note occupies a small square, organized sequentially to connote time, and Kang has chosen to use the Chinese character (井) in her title because of its resemblance to this grid system. Using the logic of the grid allows the artist to incorporate other elements including painting, mixed media, found materials, and narratives from traditional Korean lyrics. Kang’s distinctive translation process is used to transform the notational system of traditional music into a spatial choreography. For the artist, each individual square symbolizes the rich tonality and movement of the viewer, all the while maintaining the restraint that defines Jeongganbo. When combined, her modules become a visual system that seeks balance, allowing for the co-existence of each individual square in a greater installation that frames the relationship between artwork and viewer...
