Memory of Origin – this is how South Korean artist Woo Jong Taek describes his works. The painting process is always based on a meditative attitude, with the artist approaching nature not only physically but also spiritually. From this moment of Zen, Woo’s brushstrokes erupt expressively, approaching a question that is all too familiar to humans, yet remains unanswered: the origin of all being.Woo Jong Taek’s work is a profound exploration of South Korean art and culture. South Korea, especially the capital Seoul, is characterised by the ambivalence between rapid innovation in technology and pop culture and the simultaneous adherence to old traditions.Woo’s artistic position manages to reconcile these paradoxes by embedding traditional ink painting in a modern context. Using impasto colours mixed from kaolin and burnt wood, the artist creates a three-dimensional image which, even in its monochrome form, seems to draw the viewer into the depths of artistic meditation.
