Pyo Gallery will host the group exhibition PIF: Flowing Images from January 7 to February 7, 2025, showcasing works by artists Kim Hyeong Soo, Lee Jun Won, Jeon Eun Sook, and Choi Seung Yoon. The exhibition reimagines the traditional boundaries of painting by introducing the experimental concept of "Paintings Interchange Format" (PIF), inspired by the dynamic digital format of GIFs.
Since its emergence in 1987, the GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) has revolutionized visual communication by creating moving images through a series of frames. In PIF: Flowing Images, the concept shifts from digital animation to the inherent motion and energy within paintings. The exhibition aims to challenge the static perception of painting, presenting it as a medium of continuous movement, interaction, and transformation.
Kim Hyeong Soo pioneers "motion painting," using a digital canvas to create images from motion textures rather than pre-existing forms. His works evoke the afterimages of rapid motion, capturing the fleeting essence of movement through layered, repetitive strokes. This process transforms movement into visual form, creating an innovative approach to contemporary painting.
Lee Jun Won explores universal yet deeply individual human experiences through automatism painting techniques. His semi-abstract compositions feature interwoven elements of the human body, such as hands, muscles, and organs. These forms converge into energetic, chaotic scenes symbolizing life’s finiteness, fear, courage, and resilience. His works pulsate with vitality, expressing aspirations and a forward-looking momentum.
Jeon Eun Sook’s paintings blur the boundaries between abstraction and representation. Employing a vibrant palette and intuitive brushstrokes, Jeon creates unique compositions that reinterpret the ecological functions and societal relationships of plants. By capturing the unseen rhythms of life in plants—spread through wind, animals, or water—her works transcend visual representation, embodying the perpetual movement and energy within nature.
Choi Seung Yoon delves into the fundamental principle of opposition, exploring how the world operates through contrasts such as inhalation and exhalation, expansion and contraction, and life and death. Frequently using shades of blue, Choi reflects the paradox of coolness and intensity, symbolizing the coexistence of opposites. His dynamic blue brushstrokes bring opposing forces to life, creating a space where collision and harmony coexist.
This exhibition highlights the intrinsic energy within the painting, inviting viewers to witness works that transcend the static limitations of the medium. Each piece interacts with the observer, evoking a sense of continuous motion and transformation as if the paintings themselves were living organisms.
Sayart / Nao Yim, yimnao@naver.com
