Park Seung Mo
Maya 813,
2018
Stainless steel mesh
70 9/10 × 53 1/10 × 3 1/2 in
Born in Korea in 1969, Park Seung Mo graduated from Dong-A University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1998 and is based in Brooklyn. He explores fundamental ideas through the use of forms, creating large ephemeral portraits by layering frames of wire mesh together and cutting through the layers to create depth. Each work begins with a photograph which is superimposed upon the overlapping layers of wire with a projector. He then employs a subtractive technique of snipping away areas of mesh and netting. Each piece is several inches thick and the plane that forms the final image contains spaces that are a few finger widths apart, which contribute depth, movement and dimensionality to the portraits.
In works such as Mong-hwan (Fantasy), Hwan-sang (Illusion) and Hwan-myeol (Disillusion), Park speaks of ‘hwan’ or fantasies and visions that feel as if they were real. He turns these fantasies into visual illusion of wire and explains “what is important for me is showing the audience the moment where the boundary between the real and the illusion break down.” The work itself is photorealistic and transfixes viewers, while the figures are ghostly, ethereal and hauntingly evocative. His craftsmanship and flair is evident as he is able to create both three-dimensional sculptures as well as pieces that imitate the graininess found in two-dimensional photographs.
courtesy of odetoart.com, artsy.net