The Artificer of Seongnam

Seo Young-deok sits across the table, homebrew coffee in hand, silently awaiting the questions typical from interviews. His eyes are dark and glazed, yet emote the depth of spirit unmistakably characteristic to the artistic crowd.

A 2009 graduate from the department of Environmental Sculpture at the University of Seoul and a current graduate student there, Seo is a sculptor specializing in a peculiar medium – chain links. His work is slowly gaining international recognition, as it is exhibited in galleries around the world, the most recent a 2012 solo exhibition in Istanbul, Turkey.

Art, says Seo, cannot be defined. It is vast and changeless. No matter the audience, it will be seen as something different. To that end, it cannot have limitations. If something is created in the pursuit of artistic expression, it must be called art.

In a way, he is saying any subject can be depicted, regardless of social constraints. Pain is as fair a topic as love.

Seo is aware every person struggles in some way. Many times the conflict occurs where no one else can see, a persistent thorn from within. He knows mental disease is a real issue throughout the world and is unfortunately stigmatized, making it something to which few people want to admit. He hopes to bring these silent struggles to public attention through his art, and in so doing, convince those that suffer they are not social outcasts.

His collections reflect the agonies from, considerations of and victories over human brokenness. “Anguish” predominantly exhibits male forms dealing with varied stages of internal struggle. Many are doubled over in the fetal position, gripping or hanging their heads in pained gesticulations. “Meditation” shows faces from both genders in contemplative state. “Nirvana” features female forms mimicking confident poses, many with their faces turned upward.

These themes are not foreign concepts to this artist, as they are also alluded to in the works of Antony Gormley and Lee Jaehyo, two active artists whom Seo lists among his chief influences. A similarity between his own work and that of Michelangelo was pointed out; Seo admitted the Renaissance artist was not an immediate influence but could understand why some could make such an assumption.

While the style was influenced by Gormley and Lee, the love for art itself originated from within familial bonds. Seo admired his father, a tailor, for his unbelievable talent to piece together beautiful outfits from scraps of fabric. The son was mesmerized and wanted to find his own niche.

He found it in elementary school when he was given a lump of clay during art class. The tactile sensation of creation stuck with him, but has since been refined.

Psychology and art make for some wonderful studies in human geography; Seo’s creative process betraying a perception that goes beyond superficial impressions.

He looks at the world for inspiration, specifically people and the emotions they convey. After which he returns to his apartment, turns on some music, consumes a cold beverage and reflects on the things he’s seen. He repeats the cycle until he has that “Eureka!” moment.

Seo never stopped playing with clay, as evidenced in the early stages of his current projects. He first creates a clay form based on a selected model. A reinforced plaster mold is laid over the model and pulled away in several manageable pieces when dry. The chain links are placed in the mold and temporarily fastened after gravity has conformed them to the plaster. Seo then goes through the tedious process of welding the links together. When everything has been sufficiently interconnected, the molds are released and the finished piece is polished to a glossy sheen.

Each piece, from conception to completion, takes between two and seven months of full workdays.

Throughout the process, Seo fills his workspace with music. He has an eclectic taste and will listen to mostly anything as he works. The genres he singled out as his favorites were House, Techno and Classical.

But why chain links and not something more classic or easily handled? The answer is found again in Seo’s love for human geography. He neither sees a population nor a group of people. He sees individuals. Each chain link represents one person as a part of a whole population.

His emotional works have played on the heartstrings of many a Korean “chain link” and have been the focus of some international audiences too. He always looks for new venues during his travels and contacts those he deems suitable. As a result, he will be exhibiting in Hong Kong later in 2013.

He hopes to exhibit in Gwangju again one day, his first experience with the city being in 2011, when a friend helped him join the Space K Gallery opening exhibition.  He remembers the city to be interesting in both culture and history, a lovely place.

And although his parents still hope he will someday get a “real” job, Seo has found ample support from other artists and the general public, support which helps him continue on, in his pursuit of artistic expression.

 

See all of Jordan VanHartingsveldt’s photos of Seo Young-deok’s amazing art below.