Kim Jeongeun (KR)
Text written by GHA
Kim Jeongeun’s small scale prints combine a range of techniques from plain black and white etchings to aquatints in vivid colours, depicting teddy bears in confused, yet curious search for a place in the world.
Through the use of various techniques such as etching, mezzotint and screen printing, the Korean artist explores different forms of expression from picture to picture, leaving behind an experimental selection of works. This continuous exploration testifies to a seeking and almost hesitant approach, reflected in the figures’ curious, yet often shy and lonely attempt to find their own identity. Despite the variations in technique and colouring, there is a continuity in Jeongeun’s motifs of teddys drawn in simple, childlike sketches.
The teddy protagonists and the immediate drawing style lend the prints a naïve tone and an innocent aura, sometimes reminiscent of school drawings. On closer inspection, however, layers, frames and depths of perspective begin to emerge, allowing the viewer to explore a wide range of expressions from colourless sketches to shimmering textures in reptilian colours. As we follow the teddies through the various scenes, small adventures unfold, blending fantasy and memory, but also touching on the difficulties of growing up and clinging unto one’s innocence in a complicated world. The delicate images oscillilate between disorientation and curiosity; the teddies seem both wary of exposing themselves, and yet longing to be seen.
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