Korean artist Rikyung's solo exhibition "Countertransition" by Rikyung opened at Ginza Maison Hermès Forum in Tokyo on October 31st. The artist herself attended a preview held the day before and explained her work.

Since her early works, Rikyung has consistently used light to create works that appeal to the limits of vision. Her consistent theme is the "instability of believing what we see." This time, two installations at the venue, "The Serpent's Kiss" and "The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil," express this mysterious theme.

The new work, "The Serpent's Kiss," utilizes natural light filtering in through the glass-block walls of Ginza Maison Hermès and spotlights that shift over time. Rikyung said that when she stepped into the Forum space, she was reminded of "sun, shadow, and tears." The floor is covered with mother-of-pearl inlay, which sparkles in the light. It symbolizes tears. From the spotlight, a vague, ambient background music plays, which she describes as "a plea for you to listen to your inner voice."

The work was inspired by the ancient Korean tale "Shadowless Pagoda." A wife follows her husband, a stonemason building a temple pagoda, and a monk tells her she will meet him if she waits at the tip of the pagoda's shadow. However, she continues searching for the unfinished pagoda's shadow, ultimately dying without reuniting with her husband. "It's a story of waiting for something intangible. It seems to connect to my own self," says Ri-kyung.

The artist lists her favorite times as noon, 3:00 p.m., and 7:00 p.m. It would be a pleasure to lie down on the sparkling floor in your spare time, contemplate your wife's longing, and relax in a moment of relaxation.

The other piece, "The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil" (2001), is a work the artist describes as "a work from a time when I had lost my direction." An intense light engulfs the space, a white light so bright it makes you lose all sense of distance, direction, and balance, conveying her confusion, anger, and other emotions of the time. It's a powerful experience that leaves an afterimage on your retina even after you leave the space.

The contrast between the old and new works, with their gentle and harsh light, vividly conveys the artist's consistent theme of "Is everything we see true?" Like Philip K. Dick, whose science fiction novels similarly questioned the "instability of this world," the exhibition invites us to reconsider the very concept of "reality."


[Event Information]
"Countertransference" Rikyung Exhibition
Venue: Ginza Maison Hermès Forum
Address: 5-4-1 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
Dates: October 31st to January 7th, 2015
Hours: 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM (until 7:00 PM on Sundays)
Closed: New Year's Holidays
Free Admission