Kimreeaa Gallery will host the solo exhibition <Green Ray - On the Similarity with Punk Rock and Contemporary Art> by artist Hwang Do You from November 30, 2023, to January 13, 2024. This exhibition presents a new body of work following the expressive figurative painting series "Alice in Wonderland" from the past decade. The new works are a portrait series of girls with vibrant fluorescent hues accentuating their faces.
Derived from an image accidentally generated due to a nozzle malfunction in a printer, the artist recalls the 1977 single album "God Save the Queen" by 'Sex Pistols.' The artist draws inspiration from the image on the album jacket, where thick lines intersect the eyes and mouth of Queen Elizabeth II, discovering a subtle connection between contemporary art and punk rock music. Punk rock, originating in the late 1970s, is characterized by its rebellious and progressive nature, rejecting conventional music skills to emphasize spirituality. This resonates with the emphasis on the spiritual aspect of artistic expression, as discussed in Wassily Kandinsky's book "Concerning the Spiritual in Art," which significantly influenced art theory.
The girls depicted in the "Green Ray" series are presented with restrained objectivity, akin to the dissonant notes of punk rock music, as sharp-colored lines cut across their faces. For the artist, these fluorescent lines act as a kind of scream, revealing the tense psychological states of the girls, akin to Kandinsky's representation of intense lemon color as the sound of a high trumpet. The girls in music, literature, and art symbolize freedom and purity while also representing vulnerability, instability, and the inevitable changes and creativity that come with growth.
The girls in Hwang Do You's "Green Ray" series, much like the sharp notes of punk rock music, confront the viewers with a gaze of resistance and challenging perspectives. Similar to punk rock challenging conventions and seeking its own expression, the girls in this series seem to challenge the traditional notion of beauty, discovering their voices and pursuing freedom. The "Green Ray" revealed on the faces of these girls powerfully expresses their psychological changes, suggesting a rich imagination for new transformations.
Hwang Do You's distinctive bold lines and ethereal colors resonate throughout this series, while the artworks also encapsulate a profound internal sound. We hope that you will thoroughly relish the diverse sensory journey offered by this exhibition.
