Welcome, and thank you for visiting my modest gallery tucked away in a quiet corner.

Here you will find a variety of my works—large and small, diverse in character and spirit. I arranged them in this way because, seen together, they may give you a clearer sense of who I am.

To be honest, I often feel my lack of formal training and the limited time I have been able to devote to art. Yet I continue without pause—feeling, learning, and growing in the process.

I am not a master of any single field, nor do I belong wholly to any place. Take what you see as it is, and carry with you whatever impressions remain. Though I began in earnest later in life, I have always sought to keep faith with my first intent—to let neither results nor criticism define me, but to follow the quiet integrity of my own path in art.

At times, a sudden impulse led me to submit small works to competitions, and a few were recognized. In Korea, I once taught art at a high school for about ten years. In 2009, after twenty years of living in Australia, I returned to Korea, where I now work as a sculptor. That, in essence, is the whole of my artistic journey.

I have no interest in heavy philosophy. What moves me are the kinds of impressions that feel like music, and the vivid realities that the world tirelessly brings forth.

I love travel and every kind of documentary, and hold special respect for the creators of BBC Earth, whose programs I watch with admiration. And one thing is certain: without music, I imagine my veins would carry nothing but plain water.

Perhaps artists are simply those who live in the busy square between the entrance of expectation and the exit of fulfillment.

Even if you arrived here by chance, I am grateful.

Yoonki Hong
Born 1952

ADORE-GALLERY
85 Cheongun-ro, Mungyeong-eup, Mungyeong-si Gyeongsangbuk-do, Republic of Korea
2024Dec

About the direction my art work takes

ME WITH ADORE- EXPLORING NEW FORMS AND EMBRACING PASSIONATE ARTISTRY

Thank you for visiting my humble gallery.

Though I’ve lingered in futile pursuits for some time, I’ve returned from Australia and set up my studio in Mungyeong, Korea. Spending my days immersed in music, working away, and enjoying walks that lead to many moments of inspiration, I find myself content.

As much as I hope my work resonates like music, I am well aware that reaching the level of heart-stirring creations is a daunting task, and perhaps even impossible.

Ah! Allow me to lay down a principle or two – you might be curious about the direction my work takes. I am inflating a sturdy sculptural structure unrelated to the subject, not with intensity but by putting my heart into a lump of tranquility’s dough and letting it expand. Furthermore, I am dedicated to preserving the true essence of my creations, ensuring they aren’t relegated to mere illustrations within the pages of philosophical treatises.

The resonance that only emotional art piece can bring forth, in other words, the value of emotion, is both the beginning and the end of why I engage in the art. If philosophy resides in the mind and art in the heart, then my work fully embodies me, leaving no need for a separate presentation of philosophy. To harness the power of resonance, one must forge not a mental tool but rather a drum within the heart, that’s the thesis.

Mechanization, monochromatism, and constancy of style for commodification of my work hold no appeal for me. My sole pursuit is the exploration of novel forms of expression, or rather, the natural physiological process that it is for me. Following this path without any doubt, I remain faithful to the authenticity it brings. Thank you for reading.

 

Yoonki Hong

제 작은 갤러리를 찾아주셔서 감사합니다

헛한 일에 오래 머물렀지만, 호주에서 돌아와 문경에 작업장을 앉혀 온종일 음악들으며 작업하고 많은 감격들과 만나는 산책도 즐기니 이만하면 아주 행복합니다

음악처럼 가슴을 흔드는 작품에 이르기를 바라나 사실 그건 불가능하다는 것을 잘 아는 사람이기도 하지요

아! 원칙이라고 할까요, 내가 작업하는 방향이 아마도 궁금하실 겁니다. 작품의 주제와 상관없이 든든한 조형구축, 과격함보다는 한 덩이 고요에 마음을 넣어 부풀려내고 있습니다. 또한 내 작품들이 철학서의 내지를 장식하는 그림풀이로서 취급되지 않도록 철저히 본분 역시 지키고 있습니다

감성적 조형만이 울려낼 수 있는 진동, 즉 감동의 가치가 내가 조형예술을 하는 첫 이유고 끝입니다. 그리고 철학이 머리고 예술이 가슴이라치면 내 작업에는 내가 통째로 들어가 있으니 철학을 따로 피력할  이유가 없는 셈이고, 울림의 힘을 바란다면 머리 대신 가슴의 북을 만들고 끈을 조여야 한다는 지론이지요

작업 스타일을 기계화, 단색화 또는 브랜드화 시키는 일 따위엔 전혀 관심이 없어요. 오로지 새로운 조형, 그 느낌의 탐구, 그러나 사실 탐구라기 보다는 내겐 자연스러운 생리현상 같은 것이어서 미울 것 없이 그를 정직하게 따릅니다. 읽어 주셔서 대단히 감사합니다.

 

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