Sung Feel Yun
Looking at The real world from within The real world
source: encountercontemporary
Sungfeel Yun’s installation series, Looking at the Real World from Within the Real World, signifies a complex meditation on the cosmos, the rhythms of the universe and our relation to them.
‘My work is about the nature of existence, as explored and explained by Eastern philosophies and the theories of universal physics. The vast expanse of the solar system and the micro world of atoms have something in common; both worlds rotate around the same axis.’ – Sungfeel Yun
Sungfeel Yun utilises the intense power of simplicity to convey monumental concepts. His magnet powered, sensor activated, steel installations paradoxically invite the participation of the viewer, yet resist explanation. With a toss of steel filings the sculptures vivid surface is activated. This enigmatic fusion of minimalist sensibility and automatist motion creates unique works of great potency.
Sungfeel Yung’s work has received extensive recognition internationally, including multiple solo shows and a prestigious award from the Korean National Museum of Contemporary Art. Complimenting Encounters exhibition Sung Feel Yun’s work will be featured in a series of Art14 lectures hosted by Sketch throughout February and March.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
source: vimeo
All of things in the universe remain forever in motion, no object remains fixed. Entities do not move at their own whim, yet they do keep a certain regulation of their own. This issue is connected to my artworks: the major root of life is energy, which suggests the significant source for living in the world. I would now like to identify certain trends in my artwork that have emerged over the past 7 years. I am interested in the physical properties of various metals, including iron and stainless steel.
In my artwork, energy in a colossal quantity appears as a circular form. The perfect circular shape has simultaneous pulling and pushing forces. The straight and curved lines are the critical elements of my artworks as they create a feeling of tautness or tension in relation to the movement of a circular form.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
source: wsimag
In his artwork, Yun explores the connection between the theoretical sciences, such as string theory and quantum mechanics, and Eastern philosophies. By incorporating rotating magnets, motors, and action sensors in his Chaos, Cosmos and Circulation Series; structures reminscient of topological forms in his Energy Series, Yun opens a dialogue between physical science and aesthetics, bridging these seemingly contradicting ideas through artistic expression. The full circle motif he employs is more than a visual representation of the cyclic nature of creation and destruction—the Yin and Yang in Taoism and Buddhism, but a conscious contemplation of spiritual and physical laws from within and without the self and the cosmos.
His works are minimal and perfectly harmonious, his thoughts expressed with distilled clarity. He states: “I avoid redundancy and superfluousness in visualizing my ideas, as visual flamboyance often cloud my ideas within the works. My works are concise records of my self-exploration, and my thoughts on the universe.” The simple yet deeply powerful cyclic motif fluctuates in the minds of the audience with the vastness of infinitely expanding and contracting two-dimensional planes in all directions, confronting the audience with the artist’s and their own existence in this universe.
Sungfeel Yun completed his MFA in Sculpture at the Slade in 2013 following an Art Practice BA from Goldsmiths. He was awarded the Broomhill National Sculpture Prize, Special Commendation, North Devon, E.K. in 2013. He has been included in the 2013 New Sensation, 50 Long List by the Saatchi Gallery and selected as one of the 40 artists for the Catlin Guide 2014. His solo exhibitions include Chaos, Cosmos and Circulation at Pyo Gallery, Seoul (2012), Looking at The real world from within The real world, Zaha Museum, Seoul (2012), and an exhibition with the same name at sketch, London (2014). He has also participated in a number of group exhibitions including the 2013 Broomhill National Sculpture Prize, North Devon, UK and 4482 Map Korea, Barge House, London (2012). Yun lives and works in London and Seoul.