Jong Oh, 〈Room Drawing(objects) #3〉, 2014, Wood, metal rod, string, paint, aluminum plate, brass plate, weight, pencil line, chain, Dimensions variable, Image Courtesy Doosan Gallery & Artists

DOOSAN Gallery New York is pleased to present Jong Oh’s solo exhibition, 《Wind Rose》, from March 4 to April 3, 2021. Oh was selected to be part of the DOOSAN Residency New York program through an open call in 2020 and will present new works created during his current residency. He has been actively working based in New York and Seoul and this is his sixth solo exhibition in New York. The title of the show, Wind Rose, represents a round-shaped graphic tool showing the wind direction and speed, which was inspired by the cylindrical columns at the gallery space and the strong wind by the Hudson River near the gallery.

Jong Oh's works use humble materials such as string, metal rods, chains, fishing wire, pencil lines, and Plexiglas to draw attention to the subtle features of the spaces they occupy. Focusing on specific and often overlooked features of given sites, such as minute cracks on the wall, nail holes, corners, doors, light, and shadow, he constructs architectural works intuitively. They both merge with their surroundings while calling out unappreciated beauty. He searches for perfectly balanced spots of gravity and then centers his materials there. Tension and balance formed by the mathematical conversations in his mind become records of Oh’s time spent analyzing the spaces. His simple lifestyle mirrors his artworks: migrating from city to city following his exhibition schedule carrying only a backpack and small suitcase filled with his basic tools and minimal personal belongings. Each exhibition space becomes a new studio as he initiates works only after observing and being inspired by the energy and emotion given by the space. Since he pursues the beauty of simplicity with limited components under certain rules, he often compares his creative process to a haiku, Japanese short-form poetry. His work resembles his lifestyle of a traveler as it is created with minimal materials without any unnecessary components, which stays for a while and disappears.

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Doosan Gallery