SEOJUNG ART is delighted to present “The Observers,” a compelling duo exhibition featuring the works of Moohyun Jo and Gus Monday in Busan. This exhibition showcases the unique explorations of both artists, highlighting their ability to investigate and reinterpret the world around them. Moohyun Jo delves into the unseen layers beneath the surface, driven by a persistent curiosity about hidden structures and meanings. Gus Monday, renowned for his narrative artistry, draws inspiration from his personal experiences to craft spatial stories that weave together social symbols and codes. The exhibition comprises 14 works, including 12 new pieces across painting, drawing, and sculpture. Both artists examine how the act of observing can transform reality and enhance the interpretive possibilities of observation.
Moohyun Jo’s work is centered on uncovering the hidden structures and meanings that lie beyond what is immediately visible. As an observer, he takes an active approach, moving beyond simply recording the external appearance of his subjects to decode the concealed relationships and underlying mechanisms. A recurring theme in his work is the ‘car,’ which he uses to explore these hidden aspects. Though the internal structure of a car is not visible beneath its sleek exterior, its presence can be felt, and the functional space it creates engenders a sense of trust in the user. By examining his relationship with the car, Jo captures its inner essence through an observer’s lens, using collected car images to investigate the paradoxical relationship between interior and exterior. His paintings and sculptures reconstruct the volume and depth of the car’s interior, revealing symbolic meanings embedded in everyday objects through careful observation of qualities that are not immediately apparent. This exploration not only reflects Jo’s perspective as an observer but also creates a connection to the viewer’s own gaze.
Gus Monday, who spent his formative years between South Africa and the United Kingdom, integrates his personal experiences with a variety of social, cultural, and historical elements to create visual narratives encoded within everyday spaces. As an observer, he reveals the social codes embedded in these spaces with a discerning eye, showing how individuals interact with their environments. By juxtaposing stylistic elements that evoke both modern viewpoints and nostalgia for the past, he reinterprets the complex relationship between past and present, inviting viewers to question how they perceive and internalize these contexts. In “The Observers,” Monday introduces his Study and Sketch series to Korea for the first time. Far from being mere preliminary works, these pieces represent the culmination of continuous observation and documentation, capturing significant moments in his creative journey.
The French philosopher Michel Foucault, in 『Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison』, posited that ‘the observer is not one who seeks to control the subject but one who investigates the possibilities of its existence.’ In “The Observers,” Moohyun Jo and Gus Monday illustrate that observation is a journey that goes beyond mere visual surfaces to explore the multiple layers of meaning beneath. The audience is invited to align with the artists’ perspectives, transitioning from an intuitive viewing experience to a more analytical engagement. Through this process, viewers are encouraged to revisit overlooked scenes from everyday life, embarking on an artistic journey that reconstructs and reinterprets reality.
Exhibition Dates: November 23 – December 29, 2024 l SEOJUNG ART Busan
