Vergil America Invitational Exhibition 2018
Sukran Han
A Walk on The Fragment of Life
August, 8th~13th, 2018
Opening Aug. 11th, 2018 2pm~6pm
Chosun Ilbo Museum
33, Sejong-daero 21-gil, Jung-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
Instant & Forever
Written by Hwasaan Kang
(Artist, Vergil America Chief Editor)
Painter Sukran Han tries to inspire audiences by using the stopped moment. She expresses the life of human being, which stays on the earth for a while, by using the light. She believes that ‘there are no eternity’ and searches for the hidden sincerity and free mind of a vagabond. She pursues abstract pictures with aiming for expressing the presence of time and stopped space based on the long practical education and training in the US
Freedom of Thoughts
In the first half of 2010, her works contained a flash of light. Her early works depicted the moving time as direction, energy, or velocity presented by lines and sharp faces with using numerously repeated brush strokes. Her later works, the background embraces the formation of energy, although the truthfully repeated strokes were still maintained. The abstraction of the scene became concrete and she liked to describe grasses and trees that we can easily see and feel. Her methodology is to express the continuously changing artist’s will. It, however, is ironical that her main theme was the ephemeral nature of lives but her background was very solid and hard. It indicates that she used to evaluate the problem of existence while considering light as a living thing. The artist now expresses common trees and grasses, which nobody pays attention to, to show that she is not biased or fixed to a certain thing. The artist said that she faces a canvas with a mind of “forgetting her own hand” and it reveals that she is reaching the level of freedom of thoughts and emptiness.
Let it go
Bongseonsa Temple is located near the Gwangneung National Arboretum, which is well known for the National Arboretum and a Korean woodpecker. You can get to the temple from the Gwangneung Royal Tomb by following about 1.5km long trail from through a fir forest. The history of Bongseonsa Temple began in the Goryeo Dynasty but it was destroyed and rebuilt seven times, as it went through Japanese Invasion of Korea in 1592, the Manchu war of 1636, and the Korean War. The signboard of Bongseonsa Temple does not say Daeungjeon but it says ‘a large Buddhist temple’ in Korean. Verses on the columns are all written in Korean as well. It is the mark of monk Un Heo (耘虛: 1892~1980)’s patriotism, who devoted to the Korean Buddhism scripture translation project. Bongseonsa Temple built a building for a temple stay a few years ago and inscribed ‘Let go (放下着)*’ on a natural stone in front of the yard. I have strolled to Bongseonsa Temple for 20 years because it is near my workshop. Whenever I visit the temple, I always look for three things. The first is the Korean signboard. The second is Piujeong (避雨亭), which is located at Guui-dong 210-10, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, and it was built in 1964 by acquaintances of Seongsuk Kim(金星淑), called Un Am (雲巖), who devoted his life to the independent movement and took care of others for his whole life. Eunsang Lee named it Piujeong, which means a shelter from a rainfall. Piujeong signboard written in the writing style of Jingyeong An, originated from this signboard, always touches my heart. The third was the cornerstone and it disappeared when it was rebuilt. The cornerstone located at the side of the quiet and sill temple building was a masterpiece of modern free-form sculpture. Now the ‘Let go’ replaced the cornerstone. Because of it, I introduce the history of Bongseonsa Temple to you. In other words, “Let go”. Now I read “Let go” from the grasses, stems, and energy of the spatial structure of Sukran Han’s works. It means that empty space touches my heart. The grass and sky reveal that the problems of eternity and instantaneity are identical.
Sukran Han initially tried to capture meditation from the moment’. She tried to express the interaction of things on the earth as a metaphor. She used to paint to obtain the eternity. Now she tries to reevaluate the moment of transforming an image into a spirit. Painters always feel that people are not touched by a painting due to academic exploration or intellectual aspiration. I hope that people feel the ‘let go’ and ‘carry on’ are the same when they have the spiritual enlightenment from artistic joy. I will conclude this article with the work note of the artist.
“I read the meaning of grasses in the mind of the prodigal son. I feel like I can see everything through the grasses on the roadside while I walk and think about temporal phenomenon quietly. Alas … flowers blossom with putting on the best effort within the short moment between the light and the wind… What is the difference between my time and their time? Just live trustworthily. All have the visible and invisible meanings…”
Education
1989 Fellowship, Vermont Studio Colony, USA.
1979 MED, University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
1975~6 MFA Candidate, Portland State University. Oregon
1975 BS, Seoul National University, College of Fine Arts
Exhibition
2018 Southern California Established Women Artists’ Show.
EK GALLERY, LA, CA
2017 Yoon Space, group show, LA.,CA
2015~6 KAASC annual exhibition,
Korean Cultural Center, LA.,CA
2014 Spectrum Art fair Miami, Miami, FL
“Reverie in Daily Life” Carnegie Gallery at
Muzeo, Anaheim, CA
2013 3 artists group Show, Artcore
Gallery Brewery Annex, LA, CA
“Natural Harmonies”, Fremont Gallery,
Pasadena, CA
The Big Show, project Gallery, Pomona, CA
2012 Solo Show, “Rays” Project-7, Bergamot,
Santa Monica, CA
Group Show “Apples and Oranges” Chelsea, New York
100509 Group Show, Sarah Lee Artworks & Projects,
Santa Monica, CA
2010 “Experience of lives”, Gallery Western, L.A, CA
2009 Connections 2008,
Korean Cultural Center Art Gallery, L.A. CA
2008 ASTO LA International Art Festival LA.CA
2007 Chicago Art Fair, Chicago, Illinois
2006 Solo Exhibition , White Box, San Pedro, CA
2005 Solo Exhibition, Kum Ho Museum of Arts,
2002~4 Seoul Korea Professional Artist Association, Art Gallery
Sejong Cultural Center, Seoul
Korea Professional Artist Association
(Art Gallery. Seoul Arts Center)
2001 Solo Exhibition, Bogo Gallery,
Seoul Solo Exhibition, POSCO Gallery, Seoul
2000 Group Show Gallery Modern, Changwon
Solo Exhibition, Dongsung
2010~2 Curator at Galerie Rheeway, Los Angeles, CA
1985~1997 Lecturer at Changwon National University
Kyungnam University
Collection
National Museum of Modern Arts in Seoul
Kumho Museum of Art. POSCO, KIMM, and private collections
E-mail dexhand3@hotmail.com Mobile 1-818-808-8185 Add. 3041 Gertrude Ave. La Crescenta , CA 91214
