Gangnam, Seoul
Sueyon Hwang
Pastel, Bullet, Beautiful Fingers
G GalleryA Name That Follows Born nameless, the paper collages once called ‘Melting Point’ later came to be referred to as ‘Small and Sharp’. Then, over time, they gradually began to take on individual names. I found it beautiful that the titles didn’t emerge immediately but followed much later, with a certain delay. It felt as though the works themselves were deciding their own names. Sueyon Hwang’s work is better described as ‘emerging’ or ‘growing’ rather than simply ‘being made.’ Her creations undergo a journey of transformation and naming, passing through a process where the artist—and the artwork itself—comes to understand the work over time. Hwang carefully handles the materials with her palms and fingertips, following the natural path that emerges as the initial state or form is nearly destroyed or dismantled. These works then entangle themselves with other actions or materials, naturally leading to the next creation. In this continuous process of implementation and growth, the pieces are interconnected and extended, and though clusters may sometimes form, no two are exactly alike. Each work matures with unique differences but retains a certain similarity, and at a particular moment, they start to acquire the most fitting names, while some may remain nameless. In this ‘path of transformation and naming’ that Sueyon Hwang and her work navigate, ‘destruction’ and ‘dismantling’ are deeply, and sometimes subtly, embedded at every stage. This is because these processes naturally become conditions for creation as she defies gravity, or unconventionally combines or subverts hierarchies in her handling and use of materials. However, in Small and Sharp, this act—and the associated term—stands out more particularly and meaningfully. In Small and Sharp, ‘destruction’ and 'dismantling' become symbols and practices of specific emotions and intentions. Having seen and heard about the constant acts of cruelty in which the bodies of the vulnerable are mutilated, Sueyon Hwang applies dark graphite to pale paper with desecrating force, filling the page until it is almost punctured or torn. This destructive and repetitive act, which takes place on paper that has been thinned and blackened by the pressure of the pencil-wielding hand and its relentless strokes of graphite, is an outburst of anger, lamentation, and fear that goes beyond the act of creation. It also resembles a silent cry for the safety of all the vulnerable in the face of unexpected horrors. The blackened paper then takes on a metallic texture with a faint shimmer and is processed into small individual pieces in the hope that they will gain the strength to become solid and hardened, untouchable, and thus able to defend themselves, as a memorial to the already fragmented body: hands, feet, ears, nose, tongue, etc. The pieces take the shape of sharp objects commonly used around us, tools that could become weapons if necessary, such as knives, rice paddles, forks, cleaning brushes, surgical scalpels, sculpting tools, razors, and writing instruments. Hwang repeats the process of layering and binding these sharp, yet still fragile, pieces until they become as unyielding and pointed as iron. This cascading act of dismantling and joining is a covert practice of imprinting and prayer. The small, flat pieces of paper, layered densely and evenly, level as a bas-relief, make a careful but resilient appearance that can be likened to the household chores that go unnoticed but are fundamental to the daily life of its members, or the evolution of a tiny insect, degenerating its wings and wrapping itself in a hard shell for protection. These unique beings come into the world through a moment of unnoticeable transformation that gradually oozes outward from deep within, and when the time is right, they are called by the name that suits them best. Pastel, Bullet, Beautiful Fingers, All Things Where They Belong Even Angles, Shining Teeth, Sharp Edge With Small Flower Petals on My Body, Two Eyes and Seeds, a Round Belly Sharply Concealed in Layers, Small and Breaking Long Nose Many Legs and Round Belly, Hairy, Small, and Sharp Hidden Behind Lips, Ever-Ready to Throw. Name Spoken Repeatedly, Quietly, Hushed Dreams of Layered, Half-Closing Darkness Slashing Me Unreadable Letter Long Dark and Shiny Neck, Body, and Necklace All That Has Been Forgotten, Lost, Wiped Clean, and Missed Sharp Conviction, Blade Looming Before My Eyes Oval, and a Clenched Hand⁎ Sueyon Hwang’s solo exhibition Pastel, Bullet, Beautiful Fingers is a collection of these beautiful names and a pathway to transformation. The frail walls and roof built inside the exhibition space, though not a guarantee of security, provide a reprieve for the many unique and fragile beings to take shelter until they gain the strength to call/become themselves. —Hyejung Jang, Curator