Aesthetic Sense is an exhibition held at Seoul National University Museum of Art (SNUMoA) during the summer months from June 13 to August 25, 2024. It spotlights twelve artists and 110 pieces of artwork of diverse media, including painting, video, and sculpture.
At its core, the exhibition explores the function of the five senses—sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch—in our experience of the world. Through these senses, the mind perceives and the heart feels the stimuli that surround us. Aesthetic Sense forms the basis of all aesthetic judgment, and aesthetic intrigues come in a myriad of forms.
The Aesthetic Sense exhibition statement
Park Keun Ju’s photographic art is defined by clean simplicity and sheer minimalism. The angles from which architectural structures are photographed show off their perfect geometric proportions, naturally appealing to the human eye. Even the shadows captured play a meticulous role in emphasizing the sophisticated spatial harmony that permeates his work. Further adding to his consistency, Park’s pieces have a uniform backdrop of a blue, cloudless sky. With no other distinguishing qualities, the background of each piece appears flat and one-dimensional, much like a wash of paint applied by a steady hand.
Triangular cross (left), Form (middle), and Triangle2 (right) by Park Keun Ju
Won Seoung Won uses photography in an entirely different approach to the theme of “aesthetic sense.” Her snapshots undergo computing work that transforms them into spellbinding natural landscapes: lush, densely-packed forests, placid expanses of blue-green water, and blankets of frozen, crystalline structures in the dead of winter. The heavy idealization of nature in Won’s art effectively erodes the distinction between reality and fantasy.
Within the Realms of Possibilities (left), Soft Thorns (middle), and The Red I Want to Show (right) by Won Seuong Won
In contrast to the rich tones of Won’s art, Yeom Ji Hee’s surrealist dreamscapes rely only on two shades: black and white. The limited color palette and skillful use of negative space highlight the characteristic eeriness of her drawings. These are accompanied by the motifs of gnarled, barren branches, pale, faceless figures, and birds in flight.
I dreamed of this (series) (left) and Hope twists, and waiting for you, it calls you (right) by Yeom Ji Hee
Lee Na Ha is an artist interested in capturing the blurry, indistinct images of mundane life; her acrylic and oil pieces of swimmers in a pool are a product of this fixation. What makes Lee’s art particularly impressive is that she manages to tease out a mosaic of textures from paint alone. Harsh, light-colored strokes depict the impact of a splash as a body forcefully breaks the water’s surface. Darker hues of fluid shapes visualize the refraction of light as it passes through ripples.
Splash and People (left) and Swimmers (right) by Lee Na Ha
The artists and artworks highlighted above are only a glimpse of the gems that the exhibition has to offer. Visit Aesthetic Sense by August 25 to explore the diverse interpretations of this theme in greater depth.
Written by Hee Seo Lee, SNU English Editors, heeseolee@snu.ac.kr