SWEET
Hwang, Hyun Seung
ART SEASONS & Hwang Hyun Seung cordially invite you to the Opening Reception o SWEET on Saturday, the 17th of May 2008 from 7-9pm. This will be the last ever Opening at ART SEASONS Gemmill Lane before we relocate permanently to ART SEASONS Loft at the end of June 2008.
Guest of Honour: Dr Woffles Wu
7:00pm Opening Reception begins
7:30pm Address by Dr Wu, distinguished patron of the arts
7:45pm Address by Mr Terry Lee, Executive Director, ART SEASONS Group
8:00-9:00pm Performance by M.E.L.T
(Please remember to receive a token of our appreciation at the door if you RSVP.) Please RSVP to rsvpsg@artseasonsgallery.com or +65 6221 1800.
Korean artistHwang Hyun Seung kes his debut at ART SEASONS gallery on May 16th, 2008.
This is Hwang’s first ever solo exhibition. Singapore has been chosen as the location for his first ever exhibition because the city reflects the major themes of his paintings – youth and light-heartedness.
Hwang’s paintings are characteristic of his youth and joie de vivre. While his style is hyper-realistic at first glance, Hwang prefers to think of himself as a neo-Pop artist. Through realism, it becomes possible for the artist to convey the exact characteristics of the physical world. The lines between that of a painting, idea, object and photograph are blurred. Like the earlier generation of Pop artists, Hwang’s paintings recall an era of nostalgia and good, clean fun, and the advent of 20th century consumerism and popular culture.
Hwang Hyun Seung deliberately absolves all meaning from his paintings, i.e. the artist himself regards them as objects without meaning or significance. However, he leaves it to his audience to derive whatever meaning they want without judgment. If they see in his paintings, some meaning or come to a deeper level of understanding, good for them, however, even if they fail to derive anything from the paintings, other than that of an ornamental, decorative artwork, he is also fine with it. These artworks are meant to transcend meaning, and Hwang deliberately raises questions with regards to the value of an artwork. Does an artwork necessarily have to have meaning? If an artwork has no apparent “meaning”, does it mean that it is no longer art? Where is the line between art and decoration? And should there even be one?
What Hwang does insist in his art is the visual pleasure derived from it. Through colour, composition, and shape, he aims to reveal the crude strength of the physical world that gives optical pleasure. What is friendly, beautiful, and enjoyable to the eyes and hands can become the subject matter for his art. He wants a subject matter that is easily accessible to his audience, to reduce the barriers to entry to enjoying and interacting with his art. Art and life should be come interchangeable.
ART SEASONS Singapore
No. 5 Gemmill Lane Singapore 069261
[Parking is available at the URS carpark on Club Street as well as across the road (Cross Street) at China Square Central.]
T +65 6221 1800 F +65 6221 3380
info@artseasonsgallery.com
www.artseasonsgallery.com
