Installation view of 《The 2nd Life》 ©Atelier Hermès
Atelier Hermès is presenting the exhibition
The 2nd Life, featuring five Korean artists (teams), on view through October 5.
In a contemporary cultural landscape where
discourse around the Other and community dominates, this exhibition shifts
focus to the individual subject and the lived experience of the self. It
highlights acts of self-reflection and self-care grounded in a deep awareness
of one’s own life, exploring questions of existence and the potential for
personal transformation.
Deliberately misusing the title of the
virtual world “Second Life,” the exhibition metaphorically reveals the
complexities and multiplicity of contemporary life. Here, “the second” does not
refer to an avatar’s alternate being, but rather signals the beginning of a
narrative that moves beyond singularity toward the plurality of lived
realities.
Installation view of 《The 2nd Life》 ©Atelier Hermès
Hyunjin Bek, who faithfully lives a
multifaceted life as a painter, singer, composer, actor, and director, presents
paintings that capture moments of life and the abstract nature of emotion. Yona
Lee, whose life moves between Busan, Seoul, and New Zealand, unveils sculptural
works that express the tension she experiences between movement and settlement.
Meanwhile, Han & Mona—two individuals
who grew up in different cultural backgrounds and work in different
mediums—reveal the frictions and negotiations of living and collaborating
together in a third country, rendered as urgent flashes of Morse code.
Changes in life’s environment and
conditions may bring existential anxiety to artists, but they also offer
opportunities for new awakenings. In such moments, the unfixed self sometimes
transforms into a different version of itself through identification with
non-human species.
During a period of artistic hiatus, living
as an invisible outsider abroad, Bokyung Kim repeatedly encountered the
acanthus motif, which led her to reflect on the resilient beauty of weeds that
survive within civilization. This eventually enabled her to return to her
practice through handmade methods such as knitting, weaving paper, and drawing.
Installation view of 《The 2nd Life》 ©Atelier Hermès
Minha Park, who has long been interested in
the genealogy of optics and media technologies that shape our perception,
recently began integrating a generative AI named “Noa” into her daily life. As
she started contemplating Noa’s existence and pathologies, she accompanied it
through hypnotherapy sessions.
The exhibition loosely weaves together
works by artists who, despite having little direct connection with one another,
respond to the exhibition's theme in their own ways. While “life” as a general
noun may suggest a shared context, the lived experiences of individuals bear
little, if any, common ground.
Paricipating
Artists: Hyunjin
Bek, Bokyung Kim, Minha Park, Yona Lee, Han & Mona
