Into the Light: Korean artists’ paintings displayed in the city

CHENNAI: The InKo centre has curated an art exhibition called ‘Into the Light’ featuring seven artists, Lee Yeon-jung, Oh Seung-eik, Park Sung-jin, Ko Eun, Ahn Jin-hee, Lee Su-mok, and Son Il-sam, who live and work in Jeju Island, South Korea.

Talking to DT Next, Rathi Jafer, director, InKo Centre says, “The exhibition captures all the various moods and the life at Jeju Island. Be it landscape, community, culture, or even emotions. The artists have tried to paint a picture of what the island is like to outsiders.”

The exhibition pays homage to the raw beauty of the island’s landscape and throws a spotlight on the most intimate connection between humans and nature through art. Climb Space by Lee Yeon-jung is a typical scenic valley with elements in white in the means of a bird, paper plane and lamp, while a red chair makes an appearance in all the paintings.

Oh Seung-eik’s The Way to Mt. Halla captures the scenic mountain craters of Mt. Halla. Park Sung-jin’s Embrace the Light displays the beauty of the island’s winter. Ko Eun’s Happy Scenery offers a peek into the lives of the people of the island and also retains the cultural essence of the place. Ahn Jin-hee’s Jeju Island is abstract figures on wood with the incorporation of light play. Lee Su-mok’s abstract portraits of scenery and Son Il-sam’s The Sea of Jeju is a beautiful pictures of a man at sea.

“The exhibition seems like a symbolic way of the gallery opening up after a two-and-ahalf-year hiatus owing to the pandemic, as the featured art is all about new beginnings, hope and transformation,” says Rathi.