Foetus III


STATEMENT

EN/
When I was little girl, it was a slaughterhouse next door to my house. Animals carried in a cage were hanging in the backyard after being killed and chopped, which I took a peek at over the fence. It was the moment that I started asking ontological questions on the relationship between body and its master, being.

Platon named body “soma”, the vessel that contains soul, and he also noted that soul is immortal but the body disappears after death, in which soul leaves its vessel. However, the death of animals I witnessed was too explicit to be called “disappearance”. Rather, death was right there before my eyes and death meant that I would see the dead cow’s body parts hung over the backyard having seen alive yesterday.

As I understood, death is the moment that soul and body emerged into one cluster are being separated due to the absence of a binding factor. This “binding factor”, which is similar to an adhesive, represents individual’s spirit and identity in terms of soul; on the contrary, regarding body, it represents its physical perspective, namely, labor and reproduction based on respiration, ingestion, excretion, and growth. I believe that this connection between soul and body gets broken when either of the binding factors is lost, which means “ontological” death regardless of simply being alive.

After having speculated this concept of death, I learned that there is a study investigating the relationship between soul and body, which has a foundation on Spiritualism explored by Aristotle and Henri Bergson.

At this point, I came to a realization that birth and death are not linear concepts that have definite beginning and end but are in circulation.

Birth is the moment of an assembly while death is the state of soul and body disassembled. The most important thing to understand is that birth and death or life and death work organically in this massive circulation as a female mantis eats a male after sex and the offspring eat their mother as well. The circulation in which the disassembled fragments come together and separated is also a gigantic organism, in this sense, I named my works Poetic Organism intending to focus on “Organic”.

Boundary of life and death becomes unclear as we decide to understand “being alive” and “dying” in terms of convergence and dispersion. “Being alive” is nothing but a remaining state of cluster with “Binding factors” working actively. Body we all have start being oxidized from the moment of birth and will stop working at some point. As I pointed earlier, this boundary of life and death is not clear. Birth is the beginning of death, therefore, birth is ritual death.

I investigate and paint the incidents occurring in the cluster of soul and body in the process of birth and death. My work is about imagining and picturing the moments of convergence and dispersion such as pregnancy, birth, abortion, variation of body and severance, slaughter, surgical operation, and death. I often use the theme of ritualized birth and death such as the birth of saints, martyrs being executed, ascension and resurrection.

With the point being made, death is the paradoxical ritual of birth. Accordingly, it need not be described in a frightening or sad way, still, it needs to be colorful and pompous. Thus, the death I present shows bright colors as the uniforms of soldiers going to a warplace do.

As my works are mostly depicting religious events, I was inspired by various holy pictures such as “Assumption of Mary”, and “Annunciation”. I hope that my works can draw audience into questioning about being as a holy picture can.

KO/
어릴 적 내가 살던 집 담을 이웃한 곳엔 정육점이 있었다. 철창이 쳐진 트럭에 운반되어온 동물들은 도살과 손질을 거친 후 조각조각 정육점 뒷마당에 걸려있었고, 나는 담벼락 넘어 그 고깃덩어리들을 몰래 엿보곤 했었다. 바로 그 시절, 나는 이른바 최초의 존재론적인 질문을 스스로에게 던지기 시작했다. 존재(being)와 존재가 소유주인 육신의 관계에 대한 질문이 그것이다.

플라톤은 육신을 영혼을 담는 그릇, 소마(soma, σωμα)라고 부르며, 죽음은 영혼이 육신을 떠나는 것으로 영혼은 불멸하지만 육신은 사라지는 것이라 말한다. 그러나 내가 소와 돼지들을 통해 본 죽음은 소멸이라기에는 너무나 현시적(顯示的)이었다. 죽음은 오히려 도살의 순간 후에 더욱 더 현존하였고, 그것은 내가 어제 본 소가 분해된 후 내일 정육점 뒷마당에 조각조각 걸려있을 것을 뜻했다.

내가 이해한 죽음이란, 하나의 덩어리로 뭉쳐져 있던 영혼과 육신이 어떠한 ”결합인자” 의 결절로 인해 ”분해”되는 순간이다. 접착제와 같은 이 ”결합인자”는, 영혼의 측면으로는 개개인의 정신성과 자기동일성 (Identity) ; 육신의 측면으로는, 그것이 담당하는 물질적인 면, 즉 호흡, 섭취, 배설, 생장 등의 생명활동을 바탕으로 하는 기능적인 활동인 번식과 노동일 것이다. 이 둘 중 하나의 결합인자가 작용하지 않는 경우 영혼과 육신의 결합은 깨어지고, 이 결절은 단순한 생명의 유지 여부와는 관계 없이 ”존재론적인” 죽음 상태를 의미한다고 나는 생각한다.

이러한 생각을 거친 후에, 나는 영혼과 육신의 관계를 탐구하는 학문이 존재하며 이것이 아리스토텔레스로부터 출발하여 베르그손(Henri Bergson)으로 이어지는 영혼주의 철학(Spiritualism, 유심론 唯心論)의 전통에 근거한다는 것을 알게 되었다.

여기에서 나는 하나의 죽음관의 전환을 맞이하였는데, 바로 탄생과 죽음이 시작과 끝처럼 일직선상에 놓인 것이 아니며 오히려 순환구조 안에 있다는 깨달음이 그것이다.

죽음이 영혼과 육신의 덩어리가 해체된 상태라면, 탄생은 집합의 순간이다. 중요한 점은, 마치 암컷 사마귀가 성교 후에 수컷을 뜯어먹고 그리하여 낳은 새끼들이 다시 어미의 몸을 뜯어먹듯, 탄생과 죽음, 그리고 살아있음과 죽어감 또한 거대한 순환구조 안에서 유기적(organic)인 방식으로 작동한다는 것이다. 분해된 파편들이 유기적으로 뭉쳐졌다 흩어지는 이 순환구조 역시 하나의 거대한 유기체로, 이러한 의미에서 나는 ”유기성”이란 단어에 큰 중요성을 두고 나의 작업을 시적(侍的)유기체 (Poetic Organism) 라고 부르게 되었다.

”살아있음”과 ”죽어감”을 집중과 분산의 문제로 이해하기 시작하는 순간 삶과 죽음의 경계는 모호해진다. ”살아있음”이란 ”결합인자”들이 활발히 활동하여 영혼과 육신의 덩어리가 유지되는 상태에 지나지 않는다. 우리 모두가 가진 육신은 탄생의 순간부터 산화를 거듭하여 언젠가는 기능이 멈출 것이다. 거듭하여 말하건데 이 둘의 경계는 분명하지가 않다. 탄생 자체가 죽음으로 가는 출발점이며, 이러한 의미에서 탄생은 제의적(祭儀的, ritual)인 죽음이다.

바로 이 점을 역설하고자 나는 탄생과 죽음 사이를 오고가는 과정에서 영혼과 육신의 덩어리에 일어나는 일들을 탐구하고 그것에 대한 그림을 그린다. 임신, 출생, 낙태, 신체의 다양한 변주들과 절단, 도살, 외과수술, 죽음 등 집합과 분해의 순간들을 상상하고 화폭에 옮기는 것이 나의 작업이다. 나는 성자의 탄생과 순교자의 처형, 승천과 부활 등의 의식화(儀式化)된 탄생과 죽음의 순간들을 작업의 주제로 즐겨 사용하기도 한다.

앞서 말하였듯이, 죽음은 탄생을 역설하는 제의이다. 따라서 그것은 무섭거나 슬픈 방
식으로 표현될 이유는 없으나, 하나의 의식(儀式, rite)이기에 화려해야 할 것이다. 따라서 내가 표현하는 죽음은, 죽음의 전장터에 나가는 군인의 의복처럼 몹시 치장된, 밝고 현란한 색채로 화려하게 나타난다.

나의 주제가 다분히 종교적인 색채를 띄는 만큼 나는 작업에 앞서(죽음의 주제에 관하여), 성모승천도(Assumption of Mary), 수태고지(受胎告知, annunciation 혹은 성모회보聖母喜報)등의 여러 종교화들로부터 많은 영감을 받았다. 나는 이 작업이 어떤 하나의 종교화처럼 존재에 대한 질문으로 관람자를 이끌 수 있기를 소망한다.

By Stella Sujin

ARTIST STATEMENT STELLA SUJINWhen I was little girl, it was a slaughterhouse next door to my house. Animals carried in a cage were hanging in the backyard after being killed and chopped, which I took a peek at over the fence. It was the moment that I started asking ontological questions on the relationship between body and its master, being.Platon named body "soma", the vessel that contains soul, and he also noted that soul is immortal but the body disappears after death, in which soul leaves its vessel. However, the death of animals I witnessed was too explicit to be called "disappearance". Rather, death was right there before my eyes and death meant that I would see the dead cow's body parts hung over the backyard having seen alive yesterday.As I understood, death is the moment that soul and body emerged into one cluster are being separated due to the absence of a binding factor. This "binding factor", which is similar to an adhesive, represents individual's spirit and identity in terms of soul; on the contrary, regarding body, it represents its physical perspective, namely, labor and reproduction based on respiration, ingestion, excretion, and growth. I believe that this connection between soul and body gets broken when either of the binding factors is lost, which means "ontological" death regardless of simply being alive.After having speculated this concept of death, I learned that there is a study investigating the relationship between soul and body, which has a foundation on Spiritualism explored by Aristotle and Henri Bergson.At this point, I came to a realization that birth and death are not linear concepts that have definite beginning and end but are in circulation.Birth is the moment of an assembly while death is the state of soul and body disassembled. The most important thing to understand is that birth and death or life and death work organically in this massive circulation as a female mantis eats a male after sex and the offspring eat their mother as well. The circulation in which the disassembled fragments come together and separated is also a gigantic organism, in this sense, I named my works Poetic Organism intending to focus on "Organic".Boundary of life and death becomes unclear as we decide to understand "being alive" and "dying" in terms of convergence and dispersion. "Being alive" is nothing but a remaining state of cluster with "Binding factors" working actively. Body we all have start being oxidized from the moment of birth and will stop working at some point. As I pointed earlier, this boundary of life and death is not clear. Birth is the beginning of death, therefore, birth is ritual death.I investigate and paint the incidents occurring in the cluster of soul and body in the process of birth and death. My work is about imagining and picturing the moments of convergence and dispersion such as pregnancy, birth, abortion, variation of body and severance, slaughter, surgical operation, and death. I often use the theme of ritualized birth and death such as the birth of saints, martyrs being executed, ascension and resurrection.With the point being made, death is the paradoxical ritual of birth. Accordingly, it need not be described in a frightening or sad way, still, it needs to be colorful and pompous. Thus, the death I present shows bright colors and gold adornments as the uniforms of soldiers going to a warplace do.As my works are mostly depicting religious events, I was inspired by various holy pictures such as Vanity paintings in 17th century, "Assumption of Mary", and "Annunciation". I am specifically interested in reinterpreting the composition and color of Korean altar portrait of Buddha, and I also hope that my works can draw audience into questioning about being as a holy picture can. Exhibitions - solo 2014 Who Wants To Live Forever 2013 Who Wants To Live Forever 2013 Stella Sujin 展

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