Joohee Chun
Mindscape
Above the Clouds
Driven by a longing to ascend, I rise above the clouds—dreaming and anticipating
another world above. While rooted in the earth, enduring reality, and nurturing my
dreams, I have grown, slowly and steadily, to this place above the clouds. Below,
the wind and rain still fall, but above, there is a serene and pure world—another
realm altogether.
This space that I’ve finally reached, through relentless effort from where I stand, is
not an end. There are yet more clouds above the clouds, sometimes bringing rain.
And so today, I struggle once more to rise higher, piercing through the next layer
of clouds. The space between clouds is not a destination of despair—it is a space
of waiting, filled with hope and love, where I gather myself and prepare to reach
upward again.
It is the yearning for light that sustains life. Within the painting, my lines writhe and
stretch, seeking an outlet toward that light. I long for the space of brightness that
can only be known by ascending. Neither rain, nor storms, nor wind can silence
the prayer of faith etched into my heart.
I want to explore this attitude—of standing firmly in this world, holding onto one’s
hopes, and walking one’s path with purpose—through my art. The undefined
images within my heart appear sometimes as abstract transparent layers, and
sometimes as mysterious landscapes above the clouds.
Bronze, through oxidation, sheds its original color in a self-protective
transformation, bursting forth into a new hue. The deep tones created by oxidized
bronze evoke a color beyond what any blue pigment could achieve—a revelation
of the soul’s color that sinks in with magnetic pull. In life, too, we are protected by
many layers and barriers. This realization became the starting point of my work.
The inner changes unfolding through the transparent layering of images express
the paradox of wanting to conceal and reveal at once. Using transparent media to
cover the flaws inside, I acknowledge that such imperfections can never be
perfectly hidden or erased. Embracing even the flaws I wished to hide, I build
layers of transparent protection from within, outward—with love and acceptance.
The Above the Clouds and Between the Clouds series represent a new leap in my
practice as an artist—a transition from pure abstraction to the visualization of inner
landscapes I’ve long carried within. I don’t know how many more layers of clouds
there are or how far I have yet to go, but the unknown worlds above continue to
stir my anticipation. The evolution of my work—however it unfolds—remains both
my ongoing struggle and my deepest joy.
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