Je Baak: The Complex Question Fallacy 002 (2012). Sanded and bleached money on statue of Venus, 80x50x35cm. Courtesy of HADA Contemporary and the artist
HADA Contemporary is proud to present the first UK solo exhibition by South Korean multi-media artist, Je Baak.
The focal point of Baak’s artistic endeavour is an engagement with the viewer and the spiritual practices of Zen Buddhism.This exhibition is a collection of his most recent works in the form of three series entitled, Petitio Principii, The Complex Question Fallacy, and Tautology. The artist intentionally introduces familiar objects or situations in unusual circumstances or settings to invert the viewer’s preconceptions to create new perspectives.
In Petitio Principii, he documents the act of looking at a painting. By photographing Mondrian’s paintings from different viewpoints, Baak attempts to alter their rigid structure, however by re-combining his photographs he is left with ultimately another grid-like formation. In Tautology, he juxtaposes various meanings the blinking of an eye can express. It can display the banality of an everyday action or a moment of enlightenment. The medium of photography freezes this moment in time. In The Complex Question Fallacy, the artist questions on symbols of absolute value. By sanding and bleaching money until they become mere pieces of paper and then utilizing them to cover religious statues, Baak questions the validity of our highest secular and religious symbols. He exposes these objects’ man-made qualities and the viewer’s capability to revere secular and religious symbols to the same extent obstructing his path to enlightenment.
In each work Je Baak offers a visual exploration that is complemented by a spiritual introspection by the viewer, whose participation is elemental to the essence of the work. Through cleverly chosen titles the artist presents the fallacies created by language and urges the viewers to free themselves of these constraints in the search for truth.
Je Baak (b. 1978) currently lives and works in Korea. He received his BFA in Visual Communication from Seoul National University, Seoul in 2003 and completed his MA at the Royal College of Art in London in 2010. Baak has been widely exhibited in the Korea and the UK and won the Chris Ganrham Memorial Award, Royal College of Art, 2010.
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