Evolution Series Ceramic Sculpture by Suk-Jin Choi

摘要

Two major concerns of Korean ceramics artist Suk-Jin Choi are memory and the trace of time. This is apparent from the titles of several of her solo exhibitions of the last few years, including "Old Tomb: Encounter of Tradition and the Present" (1998), "Trace" (2003), "Memory" (2004) and, most recently, "Evolution" (2005). The works in this last exhibition are part of an ongoing series of ceramic sculptures based on a tubular format of multiple parts. Richly colored, textured and glazed, sometimes with added stenciled patterns, they continue her exploration into memory, time and related themes. Such themes may seem rather arcane to most Americans because, as a society, we are so involved with the "new" as an idea and way of being in the world that the past does not loom large in our consciousness. However, in a society like that of post-war Korea in which change not only has been rapid, but has been in the form of Western modernization, the "new" has collided with the past, challenging artistic and social traditions at many levels. This is especially visible in Seoul, where Choi received her M.F.A. degree in ceramics from Ewha Womans University. The few traces of Koreas ancient and even recent past that have survived in this modern metropolis act as poignant reminders of this change; they certainly seem to have influenced Choi's outlook and interests as an artist. Thinking about her work, I am reminded of something Heidegger once said. His interest in the arts was central to his philosophical enquiry into existence and our place in the world as human beings. In a lecture given in 1950 in war-ravaged Germany, he said "Only man dies. The animal perishes." What he meant was that human beings, unlike animals, are conscious of the passing of time; this consciousness makes us aware of the past and affords us a glimpse of the future and our impending death. For Heidegger, embracing consciousness as both a source of joy and as a burden was a vital part of being human.