Poster image of 《SeonSan: My Family’s Ancestral Mountain》 ©Space Willing N DealingSpace
Willing N Dealing presents 《SeonSan: My Family’s
Ancestral Mountain》, a solo exhibition by Lim Nosik, on
view through May 4. In this exhibition, Lim delves into his family’s ancestral
mountain—Seonsan, a site where his family graveyard is located—through
paintings that intertwine personal memory, cultural heritage, and the everyday
rituals surrounding agriculture and funeral traditions.
Trained
in traditional Eastern painting at Hongik University and later completing his
graduate studies at Korea National University of Arts, Lim is well-versed in
traditional materials and techniques. Yet his current practice, primarily using
oil on canvas, seeks to translate the subtle textures and absorptive qualities
of ink on paper into a western painting medium.
His
process imbues the canvas with a sense of temporal diffusion, where color and
light seem to emanate from within, evoking a quiet, almost sacred visual
experience that resonates with imperceptible shifts in time and space.
His
painting process is closely tied to notions of physical and temporal distance.
By capturing the space that lies between subjects, Lim reveals the entangled
traces left in their wake. Memories distort the clarity of directly observed
scenes, leaving behind lingering signs of what once was.
The
paintings featured in this exhibition, which intersect narratives based on
inherited forms of life with the artist’s signature dreamlike imagery, reflect
the phenomenon in which long-standing traditions, present environments, and
their modes of practice emerge as a system of signified perceptions in
contemporary society. Furthermore, the works invite reflection on how the
present moment is both a result of the past and a glimpse into the shape of the
future.
