Urban Afterimages Meet Old Objects… Rani Seoul Hosts Nam Shin-o and Hwang Won-hae’s 《VESTIGES》

The urban landscapes we pass by every day and the objects we have used for a long time leave traces in our memories even after time has passed. The works of two artists, who view these 'leftover things' in different ways, meet in one space.

Rani Seoul is hosting the two-person exhibition 《VESTIGES》 by artists Nam Shin-o and Hwang Won-hae from the 8th to November 27th. The exhibition title 'Vestiges' means traces or remnants left from something prior. The two artists express urban images and old objects through painting and installation, respectively, showing the senses that remain in the present even after time has passed.
 

Artist Hwang Won-hae captures scenes encountered while moving through the city in paintings. The starting point of the work is fleeting landscapes, such as light and clouds reflected on the glass exterior of buildings, reflections on wet roads, or smoke rising from chimneys. Rather than reproducing these images exactly, the artist transforms them into abstract landscapes by layering and blurring colors and planes.

Hwang Won-hae's work, which used to precisely depict the structures and forms of past architecture, has recently been shifting toward a more free direction. As grid-like forms reminiscent of buildings overlap with organic images of nature on a single screen, the boundary between the actual urban landscape and the emotions felt by the artist also blurs.

Artist Nam Shin-o utilizes objects that were once part of someone's life, such as old doors, furniture, or parts of buildings, in his work. He combines these with body shapes made of acrylic, iron, or aluminum to create scenes different from the original. As familiar objects are stripped of their original functions, they take on unfamiliar meanings.

The relationship between people and objects in the works, such as two faces placed across a red door or hands pushing from both sides of a black pillar, is not clearly explained. Through situations where it is difficult to judge whether they are helping each other or opposing one another, or whether they are looking or peeking, the work evokes thoughts of human relationships and differences in perception.

In this exhibition, one can examine both Hwang Won-hae's paintings, which layer urban memories onto the screen, and Nam Shin-o's three-dimensional works, which place old objects into new relationships. By calling forth traces of the past into the present in different ways, the exhibition prompts a re-examination of familiar landscapes and objects.

《VESTIGES》 is held at Rani Seoul until November 27th. Rani Seoul is open from Tuesday to Saturday, 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and is closed on Sundays and Mondays.