[비즈한국] The Korea Art Support Project, launched as an initiative solely to support artists, has continued for 10 years. Keeping true to our initial intent, we have supported over 230 artists. It was a unique endeavor, the likes of which no other domestic media outlet, cultural organization, or state institution had ever attempted. We take pride in the fact that this decade of persistence has been etched into the 21st-century Korean art scene as a distinct value. Consequently, the “10-year history of the Korea Art Support Project” is now regarded as a benchmark for observing the currents of contemporary Korean art. Now, in Season 11, we strive to pave yet another path for Korean art.
Miniatures possess a power that evokes various kinds of imagination. Among contemporary artists, some use this method to showcase their own worlds. Kang Myung-sook is a standout among such artists.
Kang Myung-sook’s work displays high craftsmanship, and the content within is not difficult to grasp. Her work, often referred to as "small art within a box," is a method of weaving the ordinary, daily lives of common people into stories and staging them within a three-dimensional space.
“Even with objects or street scenes you see all the time, if you change your perspective, you can discover things you never noticed before. My work started with the idea that a photographic scene captured within a frame or a painting on a canvas can provide a different feeling than reality.”
To transform the surrounding reality into scenes of her own imagination, she creates them as miniatures and stages them in three-dimensional spaces. Notably, every object that appears in her work is handcrafted by the artist using wood or paper, which she then paints and assembles. It is surprising how much realism is conveyed despite the objects being scaled down. This is the strength of Kang Myung-sook's three-dimensional paintings, rooted in the meticulous skill she has honed over a long time.
Among her works, the piece titled "Bakery Shop" is based on the bakery in the neighborhood where the artist lives.
“Just as your mouth waters when you think of a lemon, the image of bread alone brings to mind a sweet aroma. I wanted to create works that allow viewers not just to recall past memories while looking at a painting, but to connect with the emotions of that very day and that very moment. I chose the bakery I frequented as the subject for this miniature painting, as it evokes both visual and olfactory sensations.”
This piece depicts a bakery in relief within a 54×51×16cm space. Everything appearing in the scene was handmade by the artist and painted with various colors to recreate it as a miniature.
The various types of bread placed in the display window, the half-open front door, the lamps on both sides, the chairs and tables on the street in front, the upper windows, and even the flower pots and plants—all are original creations by the artist. Her skill in creating small-scale items is impressive, but her staging ability, which amplifies the sense of realism through their placement, is equally remarkable.
It is also interesting to observe the reactions of those who view Kang Myung-sook’s work. At first, they see it merely as a miniature. They show interest in the scaled-down reality, but then begin to observe the craftsmanship seriously, and once they realize that all of this is the artist's own handiwork, they are filled with admiration.
In the current art world, which often prioritizes cost-effectiveness, Kang Myung-sook’s work is like going against the tide. Nevertheless, the reason her work garners attention is that it reminds us anew that the labor of the hand is the essence of art.