Still Untitled – Despite It All
︎DE
Daeguartfactory, Daegu, Südkorea
<We may be separated like islands, but>
2024.12.10 - 2025.02.16
The works presented in this exhibition are variations of <Rebus> and <Beliefs Are Not Logical (2023)>, developed in Lübeck. The port at the mouth of the Trave River near Lübeck in Travemünde has long been a center of trade, enabling Lübeck’s rise as a key Hanseatic city. This deep connection with water forms a vital part of Lübeck’s identity and history. During my five-week stay in September 2023, I created a water-themed exhibition, starting with the working title <Bisher Ohne Titel (Still Untitled)> and concluding under the name <Rebus>.
<Rebus> refers to symbolic expression or puzzles that use images, symbols, or letters to represent words or phrases.
While in Lübeck, I learned that Robert Schumann had composed a piece titled <Rebus>, embedding messages by transforming notes into words. Using the German notation system (A, H, C, F, etc.), the melody translates into the phrase: "Laß das Fade, faß das Echte," meaning "Leave the trivial behind, seize the authentic."
Water, as a metaphor, raises essential questions about flow, essence, and truth. Where do we drift, and what constitutes authenticity? In Even If We Are Islands Apart, I use water to explore the journey toward authenticity within our shared historical and temporal contexts.
Lübeck is also renowned for its musical heritage. During my project, I recorded an organ performance of <Rebus>. For this exhibition, I overlaid this with Korean pansori vocalizations, water drop sounds, and other musical elements to highlight the theme of solidarity through a collaboration of diverse sounds.
<Still Untitled – Despite It All>
Brita Water Filter, Water, Food Coloring, 2024
This work explores the irony of living together in illogical situations and complex relationships. The starting point was an episode I experienced in Lübeck with G. He made racist and sexist remarks with ease, broke his promises while blaming others, and added prejudices and excuses in completely unexpected ways. The absurd beliefs I encountered in our conversations inspired the piece Beliefs Are Not Logical (2023), in which I visualized this disconnect by representing "water transformed differently from its cause." I placed clear water in a Brita water filter, and green-colored water emerged.
In reflecting on the exhibition title Even If We Are Islands Apart, the phrase "despite it all" came to mind. Although thoughts, beliefs, and ideologies differ, humanity ultimately shares "the same sea." Revisiting my 2023 work, I inverted the concept: instead of clear water turning green, this time, I filter green-colored water through multiple filters.
This piece reveals how interconnected and complex the world is. Water forms our bodies, circulates, and—whether we desire it or not—connects us with other beings. Like water passing through numerous filters, we cannot predict the final result. Despite imperfection, we remain in dialogue and live within shared complexity. This includes individuals like G. This work questions whether we can live fluidly, like water, as mediators of circulating, flexible relationships.