If the wind let go

Objectivization of the inner consciousness

He explains that all of his paintings come from and indeed flow from his heart, and the act of creating itself is an integral part of the energy and artistic expression he seeks to convey. According to Kwon, his paintings entirely express his interiority and his creative gesture through his own energy.

As suggested by the serie’s title « if the wind let go », his canvases are the link between inward and outside. Beneath his gesture landscapes grow where real rememberings and frames of mind intertwined.

In this respect, although extremely contemporary, Kwon makes part of a pictural Asian tradition where landscapes benefit both or even more of the ways of thinking and a mere visual delight.

From landscape to abstraction

The transformation of  a real landscape into an abstract picture is for Kwon to depict his state of mind on canvases. The layering of shapes, colors and textures found in Kwon’s works give them an exquisite and tactile effect that is particularly enhanced when exposed to varying gradations of light.

As the intensity and direction of light are altered, different shapes dominate the canvas, different colors fill the space and different textures highlight the overall composition allowing them to breathe and live on their own in a rhythm that is both subtle and soothing.

« I discover while painting the temperatures of both sides of my heart, the dynamics of the upper and lower heart chambers as they rhythmically and regularly pump away and the exhilaration of the inhalation and exhalation of my own breath.» h.k. Kwon 

Tradition and contemporaneity

There is a clear pattern of repetition found in the shapes, textures and colors in H.K Kwon paintings. And yet, each work stands alone, each painting possesses a unique and distinctive identity and expression.  This has been the conceptual foundation of his art since 2003.

Viewers will likely see in his work different images and will accordingly come up with varying interpretations of what they see. Indeed, this is one of the enduring attractions to abstract art.  This sense of discipline achieved through repetition so often found in Oriental or Asian Painting combined with the free expression we usually associate with contemporary abstract art gives H.K Kwon work a clear connection to traditional Korean aesthetics while at the same time producing a real sense of the contemporary.

The body : a creative tool

Beyond the artistic gesture, Kwon involves his own body as the major tool of his creation : true remembrances of abstract expressionism.

As Kwon spreads the material with his fingers, building one-way furrows, abstract and graphic paintings appeared. From now on, colorful curtains ondulate with the wind and movement, created by the fingerprints, is everywhere.

Random under control

Random is not as present as it seems, indeed, the artist realizes numerous sketches before achieved work could be painted. As a result, lines of colors are controlled, the final work is possible thanks to longer-term researches.

The serie «if the wind let go» floats between a fanciful Asian imagination and abstraction : a real link between ancient artistic traditions and contemporary creativity.