SANGJOONG KANG 'Garden of Life'

[Artist's Note] "The Garden of Life" is a site of the birth and demise of life. It is red blood, soul, breath, wind, emotion, desire, and will. Life was born from light. Light and life are inseparable. Life in light ensures eternal rest and peace. The dignity of life in our own lives is also tied to light. It cannot exist in darkness; a life without light is death. Human life is irreplaceable, and I believe in the necessity to preserve this noble calling. The sanctity of light is the absolute value that sustains life and a great gift bestowed upon us all. Life is the absolute affirmation towards light and a value of dignity. The values of "Light and Life" that I pursue encompass and define my artistic theme.

In my work, "Light" represents an infinite, unchangeable, and absolute value, whereas "Life" is a mutable entity, constantly changing in the fated environment of existence. The imagery expressed in the artwork symbolizes the empathy and expressive will derived between "Light and Life." Geometric patterns and vivid colors pursue aesthetic beauty. The focused use of fine brushwork and the sprayed effect of colors are the results of chance and inevitability. In the canvas, "Light and Life" achieve a precise combination of strict structure, exact forms, and vivid colors. Geometric shapes and symbolic colors reveal the order of light and life. The rigor of the work is neither merely technical skill nor limited to aesthetic beauty—it is an effort to make visible, not merely to reproduce the visible. Each step towards completion of the work is marked by brush strokes of fear and curiosity. The brush touches are controlled, emotional, rough expressions, concise, and strict.