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Engineering Artificial Realities: Preview U-Ram Choe's Latest Solo Exhibition

Exclusive interview, photos, and footage showcasing a deeper understanding of the renowned kinetic sculptor.

As a renowned kinetic sculptor that combines art, science, and tech, U-Ram Choe engineers creatures of robust and artificial complexity brought to life through gentle, surreal, and organic movements. His current solo exhibition at Gallery Hyundai in Seoul, South Korea explores evocative fantasies of the artist's past, present, and future.

From his more familiar works like the breathing winged-seal Custos Cavum (2011), to his most recent works like the 24K gold leaf-accented Pavillion (2012) and 51 Pieces of Drawing (2012), which includes a self-portrait drawn at the age of 7, the exhibition expands throughout three levels of the gallery, persuading viewers to journey through pockets of Choe's spiritual psyche.

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In order to dig a little deeper into Choe's mind and imagination, we shot over few questions about his latest works. The artist delves into the psychological foundation of his infatuation with robots as a young boy, explains how he interprets our participation and dependence on virtual networks, and shows us how he imagines man's insatiable appetite. Learn more about Choe’s artistic process in the video above, and watch the works in motion below.

The Creators Project: You’re showing a handful of new works and some of them seem to diverge into a different direction from the works we’ve seen so far. To begin with, 51 Pieces of Drawing shows drawings and early sketches of various works. Is this how your process of work generally begins, sketches then construction?
U-Ram Choe: Yes. I start off drawing, then sometimes even make models. As soon as the contours are somewhat grasped, I get into the actual designing. Which then proceeds to production.

Self-Portrait (1977) + Self-Portrait (2012) © Choe U-Ram + Gallery Hyundai, Seoul

The 1977 Self-Portrait is pretty incredible. You were 7 years old when you drew that… an extraordinary foretelling of your future. How would you compare and contrast this self-portrait with the 2012 Self-Portrait?
In 1977 I was 7 years old, dreaming about making robots and drawing out designs for them every day. Back then, it was a scary context with the idea that Korea could go to war at any moment. At the same time, I was also really influenced by an animation that featured a robot as the main character. The 7-year-old me wanted to make a strong robot so my family and friends could get away from that scary feeling. I even thought of robots as being similar to an "ark." A lot of boys my age thought the same.

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The 1977 self-portrait came about from when my father, a draftsman, gave me a canvas one day and told me to draw whatever I wanted. I drew the sketch with charcoal and my father completed the drawing with color.

Looking at that drawing again recently, me in 2012 at 42 years old and me in 1977 at 7 years old didn't feel so different. This made me want to make that robot I dreamt of when I was 7. And so, what was made was Self-Portrait (2012).

© Choe U-Ram + Gallery Hyundai, Seoul

© Choe U-Ram + Gallery Hyundai, Seoul

Scarecrow (2012) © Choe U-Ram + Gallery Hyundai, Seoul

Scarecrow is composed of a lot of electric wire. Additionally, the lamp within the sculpture combined with its subtle movement, makes the entire experience like an ethereal, gothic whirlwind of lights as it consumes the whole gallery space. It holds a sort of dark and ominous aesthetic to it. What was the concept behind this piece and the experience of it?
Last year when there was the ROKS Cheonan sinking incident in Korea, I was looking at the aftermath coverage and wondered, "Why are people trying to hide this incident and lie?" I started to becoming very interested in politics and power. Through the internet, the concept of information has grown in large proportions and the speed of permeation is too fast to control. Information has become completely open. Because of this, if one wants to know something, one can easily do so. Before, people with power didn't want certain things to be known and eventually it would be revealed and spread. Without saying it's good or bad, I think we are just moving into a worlds of completely different values. So I wanted to make a work that would visually show the strength of information.

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For instance, if one was going through some rough times or wanted to be forgiven for a sin, one would go to church or temple and pray for one's desires. If you look today on social networking services like Twitter, people are talking about their wishes, expressing their feelings, or even talking about their day, complaining and receiving feedback. This sort of phenomenon is kind of similar to going to confession. It's also just information. It has no substance or physicality to it. I wanted to materialize this image.

So, the electric wires come together to form something empty inside and at the same time the sculpture looks like an angel with wings and emitting light. When a person who's committed a crime stands in front of a god, he or she will feel afraid. But when a good person stand in front of a god, he or she will expect to feel complimented. I also see this sort of relation embedded within the network of information. For those with power that want to hide something will be afraid of the network. And for those within the network that want to use it will be thankful for it. It is this duality that I wanted to convey in this work.

© Choe U-Ram + Gallery Hyundai, Seoul

© Choe U-Ram + Gallery Hyundai, Seoul

Pavilion (2012) © Choe U-Ram + Gallery Hyundai, Seoul

Pavilion showcases a new application of 24K gold. There’s an interesting juxtaposition between the vibrant luxuriousness of the gold pavilion, and the crystal ball as it encases a hovering plastic bag. Again, the LED within the sculpture magnifies the work beyond its physical volume. What’s going on there?
One day I was on the street and felt something suddenly pass right by me. It was something different from things that dwell in the city in size and speed. I went to look for it with moderate fear and curiosity mixed together. It was a black plastic bag moving with the wind. I felt something at that moment. Everything changes when considered through feelings. Something as insignificant as a plastic bag had made me think it was some sort of scary life form, filling me with fear in a moment.

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Pavilion conveys this moment that questions how much of the reality that we know is true or not. Are we seeing the true nature of the things we worship? The structure of the work is composed of nobility and refinement and within it a plastic bag is juxtaposed and floats around. The aura of the color and physicality of 24K gold, the light and shadow, and the plastic bag come together in the space and gives off a contrasting vibe of extremes—from holiness to absolutely nothingness.

Ourboros (2012) © Choe U-Ram + Gallery Hyundai, Seoul

Finally, you reinterpret the ouroboros, a symbol of self-reflexivity and constant re-creation of the self. Why is the serpent’s head in Ourboros plated in 24K gold? Is this at all an allusion to yourself?
The ouroboros was introduced through mythology as a symbol of one's revolution and infinity, my ouroboros is a snake that is endlessly eating itself. The scales swell out as it eats itself, but no matter how much it eats and eats, it returns to being slender and forever being hungry. I think that my ouroboros resembles an image of nobility and avarice inherent to pure gold. It is the image of mankind. And yes, I am a man.

Choe's solo exhibition will be running at Gallery Hyundai in Seoul, South Korea through December 9, 2012. All images courtesy of © U-Ram Choe and Gallery Hyundai, Seoul.

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