Seojung Art Gallery presents its final exhibition of 2024, The Order of Time, from November 15 to December 24. This two-person exhibit features works by renowned artists Juergen Staack and Hong Soun, who delve into time as an elusive yet essential aspect of human experience. With a curated selection of pieces spanning from 1995 to 2024, The Order of Time seeks to dismantle linear understandings of past, present, and future, showcasing how these concepts intertwine in ways that defy conventional logic.
Hong Soun and Juergen Staack approach time from different artistic angles yet share a fascination with its layered and evolving nature. Hong, a Korean artist educated at École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, integrates complex historical and social contexts into his work. By juxtaposing events from different eras and regions within his layered compositions, Hong explores how time captures shared memories and personal experiences. Meanwhile, Juergen Staack, a German artist and graduate of the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf, employs sound, language, and text to reflect on time’s transient quality, aiming to capture fleeting moments and transform them into enduring expressions.
Hong Soun, SIF-2402, 2024, Mixed media, 100 x 59 x 34 cm
Time, as an abstract concept, resists a singular definition. It serves as a paradoxical connector between moments and eternity, defying clear boundaries. In this exhibition, Hong addresses time’s historicity, intertwining personal and collective memories, while Staack emphasizes its cyclical and ever-changing nature through various media, encouraging visitors to rethink how they perceive temporal flow.
One of the exhibition’s highlights is Staack’s exploration of time as a metaphysical force through audio and visual media. Known for using sound and language to reveal subtle cultural nuances, Staack captures ephemeral moments, allowing them to transcend temporality. A protégé of Thomas Ruff, Staack is represented by the Konrad Fischer Gallery in Germany, a prominent institution with a legacy in minimalist and conceptual art since 1967. His work experiments with the way language and sound shift meanings across cultural and regional contexts, thus questioning whether time itself is a universal or subjective experience.
Hong Soun, Over there..days--241011, 2024, Acrylic and oil on canvas, 60.5 x 50 cm
Conversely, Hong Soun, who works primarily in Korea and Europe, emphasizes the impact of time on collective and individual identities. His multifaceted approach includes painting, photography, and installation art, enabling him to portray how Korea’s turbulent modern history shapes personal lives and collective memories. Hong’s work reaches beyond the documentation of events, providing a philosophical lens on how history informs societal progress and personal introspection. His compositions invite viewers to witness the connections between historical events and contemporary societal issues.
Seojung Art Gallery collaborated with Germany’s prestigious Konrad Fischer Gallery to bring this exhibition to life. Established in Düsseldorf, Konrad Fischer Gallery is celebrated for its role in advancing minimalism and conceptual art. Fischer, a trailblazer since the gallery’s founding in 1967, promoted boundary-pushing works by artists such as Bruce Nauman, Carl Andre, Candida Höfer, and Thomas Ruff. The gallery remains at the forefront of contemporary art, making it an ideal partner for an exhibition that challenges traditional notions of time and existence.
Juergen Staack, Light Sketch "Phalaenopsis" / Orchidee, 2020, Vase (Berliner Porzellan Manufaktur), sketchbook A4, photography and 2 photographies, 44 x 65 cm, each 32 x 44 cm
As visitors move through The Order of Time, they are encouraged to explore how each work offers a different perspective on temporality. The exhibition’s multi-sensory approach, including the use of auditory elements and symbolic images, highlights time’s complexity as both a measurable quantity and an intangible experience. It invites contemplation on how our individual and collective memories shape our perception of time, posing questions about what it means to remember and what it means to forget.
This thought-provoking exhibit is a profound examination of time’s paradoxes, weaving together past, present, and future in ways that challenge audiences to think beyond linear history. Through The Order of Time, visitors are invited to experience time’s profound effect on art, memory, and identity, gaining insight into the diverse, ever-shifting landscape of temporal understanding.
Sayart / Maria Kim, sayart2022@gmail.com
