Meditations on the Dragon, Sobin Park
Sobin Park: Meditations on the Dragon
Curator: Thalia Vrachopoulos
Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete
Opening: Friday, May 22nd 2015, 19:30
Artillery Building, Fortezza
The Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete presented the solo exhibition Sobin Park: Meditations on the Dragon, curated by the New York based Dr. Thalia Vrachopoulos. The show runs from May 2- September 26th, 2015, with an opening reception on May 22nd, at 19:30 pm, at the Artillery building, Fortezza, Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete, Rethymnon, Crete.
About the solo exhibition Sobin Park: Meditations on the Dragon, Thalia Vrachopoulos writes:
Sobin Park’s interest in the dragon and its juxtaposition against the smooth skin of a beautiful female has been ongoing not to say that her style and means haven’t changed over the years. Her format has grown, she has added color to her former black and white pencil on paper drawings, and has varied her materials to include the canvas support. Moreover, she has incorporated images of the city into her imagery, so that Seoul is juxtaposed against New York or even what can be read as an imaginary landscape. However, the dragon intertwined with a female figure is her main motif and is important to Korea from whence she comes, as well as to China where the dragon myth arose and where she lives and works these days.
Park’s long term engagement with dragon imagery combining women is a mystery that borders on obsession or is it meditation? I pose the question because Park creates with pencil on monumental surfaces that necessitates her concerted effort for many days and weeks on end. Detailed drawing like hers is customarily done on smaller surfaces because it is work-intensive. And, since antiquity drawing or the linear device has been associated with exactly rendered meticulous work even in ancient Greece where the artist Zeuxis of Thasos (5th Century B.C.) drew his famous illusionistic grapes. Drawing expertly with chiaroscuro Zeuxis took art to another level, as other artists of his time mostly drew in outline creating flat figures. Zeuxis’ grapes were so convincing that legend has it birds flew at them to nibble. However, Zeuxis aimed at effective imitation through illusionism whereas, Park draws inspiration from her own imagination.
Park’s monumentally formatted horizontal works provide us with a panoramic sweeping view of her dragon and woman protagonists entangled in impassioned embrace. Evoking in the viewer emotion, curiosity, and even covetousness, for who would not welcome such unguarded and complete adoration? The female’s acquiescence and even active role in the amorous entanglement serves as aphrodisiac that is suggestive and fervid, allusive and amative, titillating and simultaneously tender and spiritual.
The show was organized by the Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete in collaboration with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Rethymnon.
The exhibition run through September 26th, 2015.
Free entrance.
Communication:
Museum of Contemporary Art of Crete
Rethymnon Municipal Enterprise (Κ.Ε.ΔΗ.Ρ.)
Mesologgiou 32, 74 100 Rethymnon
Τ: +30 28310 52530, F: +30 28310 52689
info@cca.gr • cca.gr
tvrachopoulos@gmail.com
