Daesun Choi
Self Introduction
I am a Korean artist who loves solitude, silence and contemplation.
I have loved drawing and coloring since I was young.
From signboards and posters at the theater to comic book covers, I think I liked anything with pictures in it. Painting excited me and kept me immersed for a long time. When I was in elementary and middle school, I won many awards and my art teacher recommended me to major in art in the future. However, I gave up going to art college because of my father's strong opposition, and after majoring in Chinese at the university, I entered a trading company and worked as a resident in Shanghai, China for 12 years. I used to go to the Shanghai Museum of Art every weekend to look at the paintings all day and come back.
One day, I saw Salvador Dali's exhibition. Looking at his works, I felt a strong desire to become an artist. I decided to become an artist and show my work to the world, rather than hovering around the edge of art. I came back to Korea and learned drawing and started painting. I didn't go to art school, but I learned painting in a private studio.
I have been focusing on abstract and semi-abstract works for producing works using newspaper, hanji, and paper strings.
Especially, I made a lot of works using newspaper paper, and for me, newspapers represent the secular world in which we live.
Newspapers have served as mirrors to reflect our secular world, which consists of text language and photography, but I don't think newspapers reflect the world as it is because of the inherent limitations of text language. If the context is removed, the original meaning of the text is easily distorted.
For the past decade, the mainstream media in South Korea has tried to achieve their political goals, such as inciting the public and distorting facts with articles that have been removed context. As a result, the credibility of the media has fallen to the bottom.
I cut these mainstream media newspapers into small pieces, soak them in water, mix them with glue, put them on canvas, and draw a line that creates concave and convex bumps with Korean chopsticks.
Through this process, I broke up the text language and pictures to switch to a new code consisting of 0 and 1, and by opening a new narrative on the canvas, I changed the materiality and use of newspapers to something completely different.
I seem to have believed that newspaper or textual language can be dismantled and converted to create new meaning that is different from before.
My work is a mixture of newspaper ink type and newspaper paper, giving a dark grayish, static and heavy feeling, but showing a fine change in the line of concave, convex bumps.
I'm looking at my work with a feeling that surface and secular characters have been transformed and eventually converted into static and permanent objects.
Slice newspapers into small pieces and soak them in water for a long time to make them pulp. Then knead it with glue, put it on the canvas, and draw a line on it with Korean chopsticks.
Newspaper paper is excellent in plasticity, and is suitable as material for abstract work because it is revealed in dark gray that contains both light and dark represented by ink and paper.
I've been working on canvas for the past 10 years, laying newspaper dough and selling grooves with iron chopsticks. The things I often draw on the dough of newspapers are vertical, horizontal, and diagonal, and other geometric patterns and dots. In addition to abstractions, I have recently drawn specific objects using only lines on the dough of newspapers.
I have a very skeptical view of God, heaven, etc.
But I think I assumed a certain permanent world when I made my work. The world is also a place that lasts through permanent change. The world must be a dark, quiet world without interference or distortion of language.
I seem to have a fundamental distrust of language itself.
I hate verbal distortion, flashy rhetoric, and verbosity. I do not believe in philosophical realism. I believe that the world lasts only in permanent change.
Since the world and the universe operate according to the way of nature, I think our civilization should also change in a direction close to the way of nature. To do that, we must not be bound by the framework of language and ideas, and we must not be bound by ideology and religion. I think it's important to intuitively grasp the phenomenon and understand the context every time you hear and speak a language.
I think it's the same for painting.
Thank you for listening my story.
Resume
Solo Exhibitions
2022.9.18~10.22 Jamyeong Gallery, Busan, Korea
2021.3.3~3.9 BNK Busan Bank Gallery, Busan, Korea
2020.7.29~8.4 Insa art plaza gallery, Seoul, Korea
2020.1.22~1.28 Insa art plaza gallery, Seoul, Korea
2015.8.24~8.30 Fuji gallery, Osaka, Japan
2015.7.7~7.14 Alternative space MARU, Changwon, Korea
2014.10.21~10.25 Horyuji gallery, Nara, Japan
2014.8.16~8.31 Daedong gallery, Changwon, Korea
2013.12.16~12.21 Fuji gallery, Osaka, Japan
2013.9.15~9.28 Daedong gallery, Changwon, Korea
2012.6.13~6.19 Seoul art gallery, Seoul, Korea
Awards
2020 Mellow Art Award 2020 (The Special prize)
2018 The 37th Grand Art Exhibition of Korea (Special selection award)
2017 The 36th Grand Art Exhibition of Korea (Juried)
2016 The 35th Grand Art Exhibition of Korea (Special selection award)
2015 The 3rd Madici Art Contest (Excellence award)
2015 The 34th Grand Art Exhibition of Korea (Juried)
2014 The 32nd Korea New Art Festival (Excellence award)
2014 The 33rd Grand Art Exhibition of Korea (Juried)
2013 The 31st Korea New Art Festival (Special selection award)
2013 The 32nd Grand Art Exhibition of Korea (Special selection award)
2012 The 49th Mokwoo Art Contest Exhibition of Korea (Juried)
2012 The 31st Grand Art Exhibition of Korea (Juried)
2012 The 40th JINTEN Art Contest Exhibition of Japan (participation prize)
2011 The 29th Korea New Art Festival (Special selection award)
Group Exhibition
2020.12.23~12.29 Christmas presnt Exhibition, Insa art plaza gallery, Seoul, Korea
2020.10.7~10.19 Exhibition of Korean Catholic Artists Association, Seoul, Korea
2020.9.28~10.25 The Invited Artists Exhibition of Gyeongnam Fine Arts, Geochang, Korea
2020.9.23~9.29 The Insadong People Specail Project Exhibition 2020, Gallery Lamer, Seoul, Korea
2020.9.23~9.29 The 9th Exhibition of Contemporary art group “MOO”, Sejong Center, Seoul, Korea
2020.9.17~9.23 The 44th Exhibition of Gyeongnam Contemporary Artists Association, Masan university, Masan, Korea
2020.9.2~9.8 Diocese of Masan 24th Catholic Artists Exhibition ,3.15 Art center, Masan, Korea
2020.7.29~8.4 International Contemporary Art Association 2020, Insa art plaza gallery, Seoul, Korea
2020.4.16~4.21 The 43th Exhibition of Gyeongnam Contemporary Artists Association, Genuine gallery, Busan, Korea
2020.2.19~2.25 Spirit Exhibition of Today’s Artists in Korea 2020, Insa art plaza gallery, Seoul, Korea
2019.10.29~11.4 The 42th Exhibition of Gyeongnam Contemporary Artists Association,
Sungsan art hall, Changwon, Korea
2019.6.4~6.30 Diocese of Masan 23th Catholic Artists Exhibiton , MASSAN gallery, Masan, Korea
2019.4.2~4.14 The 41th Exhibition of Gyeongnam Contemporary Artists Association,
Chang-Dong Art center, Masan, Korea
2018.12.1~12.5 Korea Contemporary Artists Exhibition , Hansong Art Hall, Yangsan, Korea
2018.11.8~11.13 The 7th Exhibition of Contemporary art group “MOO” ,3.15 Art center, Masan, Korea
2018.10.31~11.5 The 40th Exhibition of Gyeongnam Contemporary Artists Association,
Sungsan art hall, Changwon, Korea
2018.4.20~4.22 Art Busan International Art Fair, Paris Koh Fine Arts New York, Bexco Hall, Busan, Korea
2018.3.5~3.11 The 39th Exhibition of Gyeongnam Contemporary Artists Association, Masan,Korea
2017.11.15~11.20 The 7 Contemporary Artists, Insa Art center, Seoul, Korea
2017.9.1~9.5 The 38th Gyeongnam Contemporary Artists Association, Gyeongnam Art center,
Jinju, Korea
2016.12.7~12.12 The 37th Gyeongnam Contemporary Artists Association, Sungsan art hall,
Changwon, Korea
2016.11.1~11.7 The 5th Contemporary art group “MOO”, The Ballery, Berlin
2016.8.28~11.3 The 32nd Korea NAMBOO International Contemporary Art Festival, Sori Arts Center,
Jeollabukdo, Jeonju, Korea
2016.1.8~1.31 The 36th Gyeongnam Contemporary Artists Association, Mong gallery, Changwon, Korea
2016.10.6~10.10 Croatia- Art of Korea, Zagreb Art Pavilion, Zagreb, Croatia
2016.9.5~9.8 International Nadamu Art Exhibition , Inner Mongolia Normal University Art College,
Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, China
2016.8.25~9.6 “Boundaries”, Gallery d’Arte, New York, USA
2016.8.17~8.23 The 6 Contemporary Artists, Kyung-in museum of fine art, Seoul, Korea
2015.11.9~11.16 The 4th Contemporary art group “MOO”, Kimbosung Art center, Seoul, Korea
2015.8.19~8.25 The 6 Contemporary Artists, Kyung-in museum of fine art, Seoul, Korea
2015.10.21~10.29 The 35th Gyeongnam Contemporary Artists Association, Masan, Korea
2015.6.6~6.12 Mongolia World Art Fair, National Museum of Contemporary Art, Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar
2015 .2.9~2.14 Salon de California, Korean education center in L.A, L.A, USA
2015.1.26~2.1 The 34th Gyeongnam Contemporary Artists Association, Masan, Korea
2014.12.19~12.25 The 30th Korea NAMBOO International Contemporary Art Festival, Busan, Korea
2014.12.16~1.11 International Biennale of Young Artists, Daegu and Ulsan, Korea
2014.11.7~11.22 The 3rd Contemporary art group “MOO”, TrES gallery, Nantes
2014.10.25~12.04 Chagall gallery, Gyeongsan, Korea
2014.10.1~10.31 The 33rd Gyeongnam Contemporary Artists Association, Yangsan, Korea
2014.7.26~8.15 Korea-China-Japan Artists Group Exhibition, Daedong gallery, Changwon, Korea
2014.6.25~7.2 Daesun Choi Booth Solo Exhibition, Insa art plaza gallery, Seoul, Korea
2014.7.7~7.19 Contemporary Artists Group Exhibition, Safe gallery, Seoul, Korea
2014.6.16~6.21 Seoul International Art Fair, Jungnang Art gallery, Seoul, Korea
2014.2.17~2.22 Salon de America, Korean education center in L.A, L.A, USA
2014.2.20~2.26 100 Artists of the year, Seoul, Korea
2014.2.2~2.28 Korea-China-Japan Artists for celebrating New Year, Daedong gallery, Changwon, Korea
2013.11.15~11.25 Eumseong International Art Festival, Eumseong, Korea
2013.8.31~9.5 The 2nd Exhibition of Contemporary art group “MOO”, Sungsan art hall, Changwon, Korea
2013.6.1~6.30 Contemporary Artists Group Exhibition, Daedong gallery, Changwon, Korea
2013.4.15~4.20 Tokyo International Art Festival, Kobun gallery, Tokyo, Japan
2013.3.11~3.31 Two Person Show, JEONG KEUNCHAN & CHOI DAESUN , Daedong gallery,
Changwon, Korea
2012.10.20~10.24 The 1st Contemporary art group “MOO”, Tokyo metropolitan art space, Tokyo, Japan
2012.7.7~7.12 Chungju & Jecheon International Art Festival, Chungju and Jecheon, Korea
2012.6.13~6.19 Seoul International Art Fair, Seoul art gallery, Seoul, Korea
2012.3.7~3.13 The 1ST Free Drawings Group Exhibition, AP gallery, Seoul, Korea
Art Fair
2022 Art Fair Daegu 2022 AFID, Dae-Gu EXCO, Korea
2020 The 11th Gwangju International Art Fair, Online Show, Korea
2018 Art Busan 2018 , Busan BEXCO, Korea (BoothD-21/Paris Koh Fine Arts)
Media
http://www.vop.co.kr/A00001060953.html
https://art-trends.com/tag/daesun-choi/
https://www.singulart.com/en/blog/2021/07/28/5-minutes-with-daesun-choi/
https://aatonau.com/tearing-newspapers-with-daesun-choi/