Sayart.net
ReaA Jung queen7203@gmail.com
Noblesse Collection is holding the “NOBLESSE COLLECTION x VILLAZAN” exhibition until February 17th. This event, which started on the 6th of this month, is an exhibition in collaboration between Noblesse Collection and Villazan Gallery based in Spain.
In this exhibition, 12 works, including paintings and sculptures by artists such as Edgar Plans, Samuel Salcedo, Willem Hoeffnagel, Young Lee, and Yang Hyunjun are displayed on stage.
The Noblesse Collection is a special exhibition space and exhibition planning team established in 2016 by Noblesse Media International, which publishes the magazines Noblesse and Artnow.
Produced by Maria Kim
So, Noblesse Collection introduces various creative activities of contemporary artists through magazine “Noblesse” and holds meaningful exhibitions. In addition, Noblesse Collection strives to enable collectors to conveniently purchase great works through its own online channel.
The following is an introduction to the artists participating in the exhibition provided by Noblesse Collection to SayArt.net
Edgar Plans
Working out of Shanghai, Paris and Dubai among other places, Edgar Plans has broken numerous valuations in various global art auctions. Freely moving between genres like paintings, NFT art, and public art projects, Plans’ works embody a childlike freedom and purity. His signature character ‘Hero’ represents real life heroes that work to pass down a better earth and society for future generations. These tiny heroes bring light to the values of simple yet important concepts like solidarity, cooperation, and respect, which are easy to overlook. While reaching the audience with the characters’ cute appearance, the work embodies a deeper subject matter. They bring light to social issues through conflicts like wars, racial discrimination, and climate change. The naive expression of these ideas acts to extend a glimmer of hope.
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| ▲ Edgar Plans, WEREWOLFY 2022, 70x100cm, Mixed Media on Paper, photo by ReaA Jung |
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| ▲ Edgar Plans, INSPIRATION COMES IN THE FORM OF A CLOUD, 2022, 70x100cm, Mixed Media on Paper, photo by ReaA Jung |
Willem Hoeffnagel
Having grown up with comics and illustrations, Willem Hoeffnagel created an iconic character after 10 years of research. A puzzling canvas portrays a character’s shapeless face, but it gazes at some place through expressive oval eyes. Expression through the eyes and eyebrows alone, the viewer is drawn into a strange environment and is made to immerse themselves in the stories portrayed in the background. The scenes are inspired by the artist’s memories and experiences, containing fragmentary narratives. The personified character is created through cartoon-like scenes and artistic research; its actions inspire the viewer’s imagination like a mystery novel.
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| ▲ Willem Hoeffnagel, Photo by ReaA Jung |
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| ▲ Willem Hoeffnagel, Photo by ReaA Jung |
Samuel Salcedo focuses on the human nature hidden underneath the masks we perceive. Even though we live a fulfilled life, at times we act strange or ridiculous. Despite this, in some ways the artist states that to exist in an Ok state is merely a fantasy, and studies the irony and confusion deriving from this state as irreplaceable elements of human existence and human nature. Just as a huge laughter can appear to be a frown, Salcedo captures the contrariety of how an outward expression can be read both as bright and dark. The artist also shows the gap between essence and surface through the materials he uses. Expressing the human body, an organic being with synthetic resin that doesn’t decompose is a good example. Furthermore, the composition of small and large head sculptures by themselves or in a group seems to touch on how we, as humans, have created masks while leaning on supports of many wrong entities.
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| ▲ Samuel Salcedo, Crash Test I, 2022, 75x60x60cm, Aluminium, photo by ReaA Jung |
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| ▲ Samuel Salcedo, Crash Test III, 2022, 70x60x55cm, Aluminium, photo by ReaA Jung |
Yang Hyunjun’s work always deals with the line that connects the past, the present and future of his family. The ‘Adult Child’ series portrays his warm sentiments towards his mother; the little girl represents his mother while the animals represent the artist. Mother and son placed within an imaginary space reflects, the past and project ideas related to a family like connection and stability. The little girl wearing trendy clothing plays with toys and animals while eating snacks, going through diverse experiences. This is the artist’s artistic attempt at going back in time to free his mother, his roots, from all confinements and restraint. Yang, through his work, talks about our lives that always depends on someone else, and reminds us of the preciousness of families.
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| ▲ Yang Hyunjun, Adult Child (Doughnut) 2022, 90x80cm, Acrylic on Korean Paper, photo by ReaA Jung |
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| ▲ Yang Hyunjun, Adult Child (3D-Charizard) 2022, 104×117cm, Acrylic on Korean Paper, photo by ReaA Jung |
Young Lee
Young Lee creates unique worlds by combining imaginary characters with real life subjects. Featuring objects with faces along with himself, Lee unravels the complex emotions he faces in the modern society through playful imagination. The angry clock, bored mug and lazy brush placed against the studio background seems to uncover the anxious and nervous state of the artist while he works. The all too familiar fear of the future, and the agony about oneself is revealed through ‘mise-en-abyme’ where you continuously bring yourself and specific objects onto the canvas. Primal colors against bright lighting and shadows create a dramatic effect like a stage, and pulls the viewer’s gaze into the rabbit hole, just like in. We are pulled into playful and ironic, familiar yet temperamental moods.
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| ▲ Young Lee, The Studio at Dawn, 2022, 152.4x121.9cm, Oil and Pastel on Linen, photo by ReaA Jung |
