ONE AND J. Gallery in Seoul presents an introspective group exhibition titled “A Straggling Bird” from November 1 to December 7, 2024, featuring artists Mira Park, Sumin Song, Yi Soonjoo, Eun Kyong Lee, and Im Youngzoo. This exhibition delves into the distinct perspectives of each artist, portraying how they observe the world from a distance, neither imposing judgment nor offering consolation. The show offers viewers a unique opportunity to appreciate art that gently captures fleeting, often overlooked moments in life.
The exhibition draws its name from the image of a “straggling bird”—a metaphor for those who deviate from the flock and pursue their distinct rhythm. By exploring these unnoticed aspects, “A Straggling Bird” invites audiences to contemplate how individuals, like solitary birds, navigate spaces between collective norms and personal realities. The five artists express this solitude, using their works as a medium to evoke a sense of gentle detachment and personal reflection.
Mira Park’s contribution to the exhibit is deeply rooted in her perspective as a flâneur, observing society at her own pace. Her black-and-white canvases capture daily objects, emotions, and situations through the wandering viewpoint of someone savoring life’s smaller moments. Her recent work, "Snail’s Slumber" (2023), blends her personal experiences with her artistic practice, producing a reflective self-portrait that invites viewers to uncover layers of reality and dreamscape.
Pink Flame and Line, 2024. Acrylic on canvas, 260.6 x 324.4 cm, Courtesy of Artist and ONE AND J. Gallery. Photo by artifacts.
Sumin Song’s art revisits images from everyday life, filtering them through her memory and imagination. In works such as "Pink Flame and Line" (2024), she combines peaceful natural scenes with subtle references to disaster, layered with child-like drawings that soften the ominous undertones. The work is a delicate commentary on how moments of joy and distress coexist in life, seen through the evolving lens of Song’s recent experiences with motherhood.
Yi Soonjoo examines human emotions that are difficult to articulate, such as sadness, desire, and loneliness. Her figures transcend conventional boundaries of age, gender, and race, with surreal compositions that invite viewers to reflect on hidden aspects of themselves. In pieces like "Better See You in the Dark" (1997, 2024), Yi explores the interplay of light and darkness, suggesting that certain truths emerge only when we dare to peer into obscurity.
Eun Kyong Lee, having grown up between Senegal and Russia, brings a multicultural perspective to her work. Through self-reflective pieces like "Outside and Inside of Me" (2022) and "Grand Street Station 1210" (2019), she expresses personal moments of anxiety and introspection. Lee’s art navigates the tension between public spaces and intimate thoughts, challenging viewers to confront aspects of their psyche.
In contrast, Im Youngzoo explores the relationship between popular belief and scientific inquiry. Her video work, "Test_Material" (2016), demonstrates how scientific methods and mystical beliefs converge, using rocks and minerals in elementary science experiments. By juxtaposing the scientific and the supernatural, Im’s work prompts viewers to reflect on the boundaries between rational thought and spiritual belief.
Each of these artists offers a unique perspective on what it means to stand apart from collective ideals, yet remain connected to the world in deeply personal ways. Through these varied approaches, the exhibition provides a space to meditate on personal solitude, underscoring how art can capture nuances that words often fail to convey.
“A Straggling Bird” is a profound reflection on how artists, like solitary birds, find their voices in a world that often overlooks individual expression. By engaging with these works, audiences are encouraged to embrace both the familiar and the unfamiliar within themselves, much like the exhibition’s namesake bird that struggles yet persists in its direction.
Sayart / Maria Kim, sayart2022@gmail.com
