이상원

Education 
Graduated from Busan National University, Department of Fine Arts, majoring in Sculpture 
Current: Doctorate, Busan National University

 

Selected Solo Exhibitions
2021   A Journey in Search of Ice Cream, Guriat Hall, Gyeonggi-do
2021   Bear`s Bear Hug, Busan Library, Busan
2020   White sculpture, Gallery Daon, Seoul
2020   My Bear, Student Art Center, Busan
2020   Bears in May, Pohang Cultural Foundation, Pohang Railroad Forest Road, Pohang
2020   How to live, HiHealthyHello, Seoul
2020   Journey in Search of Dreams, Space Tree, Yangsan
2019   Inner Landscape, Lee Sangwon Museum of Art, Chuncheon
2019   Journey of Dreams, COEX Byeolmadang Library, Seoul

 

Selected Group Exhibitions
2023   Sweet Natureland, Timosiart, Seoul, Korea
2021   Sangsang Vacation : Summer Vibes, Sangsangmadang, Busan, Korea
            Artholic, Seo-gu Cultural Center, Daegu
            Puppy Forest Art Project #01, Puppy Forest, Chuncheon, Korea
            Public Art Screening Project, Happy Housing, Busan, Korea
2020   Magique, Gallery Karin, Busan
            RE:WATCH, Yeongdo Playmaru Watch Gallery, Busan
            You and My Universe, Geumjeong Cultural Center, Busan
            RE BORN, Gallery Layered, Busan

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Artist's Notes

My bear refers to the bear in my artwork. It is also a bear that I made, but it also refers to an adorable baby bear from the point of view of the mother bear in the work. In the beginning, when I started making bears, the main story was related to the environment, but as time went by, I began to focus on the life of a human being in the form of a bear, even though it seems to be talking about the environment on the surface. Nowadays, the situation of animals and the situation of humans do not seem to be so different, so maybe the image of the white bear has become a story of people.
  With its soft curves and rich emotions, the white bear seems to convey a relaxing image to people's minds. There are always pastel-colored lumps on top of their heads and backs, which I imagined and created as ice cream to replace drift ice. It's a food, albeit an artificial one, that is readily available everywhere and that bears instinctively crave, long for, and seek out where they've never been. I imagined that the nuggets could provide them with a little bit of comfort and solace, albeit in a clichéd way.  
   Recently, about a year ago, I started clearing the weeds and overgrowth in front of my studio and planting trees and flowers. In place of the weeds and overgrowth that no one cares about, I planted flowers and trees in an area that is like a small garden for the factory workers around the workshop and for myself. These actions were the background for the appearance of the white bear in this work, who spontaneously planted an imaginary plant called an ice plant.
       My bear wanted to express his most precious and cherished object through an animal called a white bear, thinking that the object would be conveyed to the viewer in various ways..