63. JIHYE SEO: A SPACE BETWEEN SWEET AND LIFE.
‘It's difficult for me to separate childhood and adulthood… I still love to eat ice cream and enjoy watching ants moving something to their house… when I was a child, I often more think about life after death and loneliness of existing in the universe...’ J.S.
Jihye Seo - ‘Tree Trunk, Winter’, Sugar, spices and food color ink in frame 80x 100 cm, 2024.
The first time I saw your work, was in a crit - a tiny painting of a boat - floating on the surface of a sea - and there was a joy within your translation that captured me immediately - I could feel that sunshine and then to see these works in sugar - there is still that lightness - but also a certain heaviness - maybe that's just me - but I am very much drawn to this contradiction... what is your feeling on your work as a whole, made within this year?
I didn’t intend to create contradict work, but looking back myself, it’s part of reflection of my personality and taste. I’m often fascinated by conflicting concepts such as old and new, birth and death. (I was a fan of musical Jekyll and Hyde as well.) I enjoy the certain energy generated from the boundary when two different concepts put together.
When I was much younger, I was more intrigued by Hieronymus Bosch or grotesque shapes. On the other hand, now days I am big fan of David Hockney, bright colors and nature. Those changes might naturally be shown on my work.
Long time ago, I used to worry about myself not having firm identity or taste, which I thought it’s important quality of the artist, but these days I am happy to allow myself to have some space to be changed and let it be.
Jihye Seo - ‘Tree Trunk, Winter’, Sugar, spices and food color ink in frame 80x 100 cm, 2024.
Conceptually - the temptation to read into these works is fascinating - when held to the light - there is a sense of opacity that feels like glass - have you considered working with glass? And what is your visceral reading of the materiality of the sugar works?
I also imagined of making with glass, since it might be much more permanent and easier to keep it not worrying about temperature or humidity. However, it might become different project while losing sense of smell and some texture, which is one of the important parts of my works in terms of engaging with all senses. But I honestly don’t have any knowledge about the process working with glass, so I want to try in the future.
I think the materiality of the sugar work is the moment of the sugar powder being caramelized syrup in the certain degree. Once the sugar transforms its shape, it allows itself to react and embrace with the environment such as light.
I was shown an illustrated book that you contributed to recently and so am aware of you as storyteller - the connection to childhood - and yet these works seem to step between different stages of life - can you reflect on the sense of time within the works made of sugar?
It's difficult for me to separate childhood and adulthood even though I made children’s picture books. For example, one of the books is about ants delivering ice cream to their ice cream car, and I still love to eat ice cream and enjoy watching ants moving something to their house. Also, when I was a child, I often more think about life after death and loneliness of existing in the universe. On the other hand, as grownup, I more seriously think what kind of bread to eat next morning before sleeping.
I think all works are results of my thoughts and experience of life in different shape. There are some qualities I lost while growing up, but I still feel like I am quite living like a child.
What inspires me greatly on viewing these pieces are there multi-sensory nature - you inhale them, their touch is sticky in part and they are fragile while being heavy - contradictory and yet light and somehow imagined - how did you feel in creating them, and why did you make them?
Looking at my results, I found out it’s quite similar with my experience of the trees which was my inspiration in the first stage. While living here, my favorite routine was walking around a park in the morning and night looking and touching trees. The texture of tree trunk is very rough but warm like a hand at the same time. On top of that, I sometimes notice the fallen trees, which made me think that it’s dead, but at some point, it suddenly blooms leaves and flowers.
Those observations naturally lead me to think life is beautiful as it is. The beauty of a tree is that it grows embracing all days including storm and sunshine. The human being also can fulfill growth when we accept every experience from life. This is how we become distinctive being from each other without the need of comparison. When I make caramelized sugar, I found out it can be bitter or sweet by temperature, and even texture can be different. Nonetheless, it is still sugar, sweet life.
The first inspiration rooted from the pattern and texture of tree trunks, but it more represents our life comprising our own world, which is beautiful as a big image despite the painful days.
I found this painting, propped against a wall and was told that they were being given away - which again I found really fascinating - this act of giving feels somehow conceptual to the nature of the works - like giving away sweets to friends - and knowing you a little - I feel that this spirit, this gesture is very connected to who you are - can you expand upon the life span of these works from idea to creation and beyond...
Since I am going back to Korea soon, and I don’t have space to save my works in London, I was very happy when they are taken by classmates and tutors. It’s meaningful when my works go to someone who can enjoy. Also, through this process, I was quite surprised how paintings can find its proper owner. For example, when I heard that you took my one of the pieces, I thought you were the right person to take it. The painting was made with much more calmer colors compared to my other works, and I thought it more matches with your image in my mind, which is night sea in a warm day.
In the very first stage, the crit you mentioned above, which is about the paintings of sea, helped me to decide where to start. At that time, as I understood, you advised me to engage with the sea directly and it might allow me to make more alive works. However, even though I agreed with your point, I couldn’t be that enthusiastic. I thought about the reason, and I found out I don’t have huge passion for the sea now. I like to visit sea, but I more love to engage with trees using all my senses all around year.
Then I decided to make a tree using sugar since I had seen peers experimenting with sugar and initially I was intuitively, playfully attracted to this material. Nevertheless, as discovering the character of sugar, it led me to keep trying to work on it. Then, I finally succeed to make a sculpture using sugar after repeating several failures. Until this point, I was not sure what I exactly want to tell through my works except the blur idea of engaging with trees. Then, one of my classmates told me my work looks like pine resin, which made me to come up the idea of scar and growth of trees. This allowed me to move my focus from making images about the nature to self-reflection through the nature. I started to make patchy shape using a variety of colors inside of a frame to represent my idea.
While working sugar painting, I could develop them getting lots of help, advice and support from the community. Therefore, I decided to make last bigger piece for everyone, hoping all of us have sweet days more often through the life. That might be slightly not coherent meaning compared to other pieces, but I thought that’s the joy of having journey of making paintings. Nothing was planned or clear at the first stage. It literally grew up from small seed and whole journey was the process understanding the character of sugar, myself and my community. I am not sure what would be next, but I am very happy to have experience of working with lovely people.
Jihye Seo - ‘Tree Trunk, Winter’, Sugar, spices and food color ink in frame 80x 100 cm, 2024.