A Sense

Alpha Contemporary is proud to present 「A sense : Woo-lim Lee, Hidehiko Iijima and Mariko Enomoto」from April 10th to May 2nd, 2024.

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We are currently living in a period of rapid change of social and economic paradigms with digitalization and surveillance.
As we live amidst such changes, I wonder how much of an instinctive sense of strangeness we feel about these changes.
 
In every era, at a turning point, there was confusion and anxiety, wariness of the unfamiliar, anticipation and imagination of what had yet to happen, and then acceptance. This sense of sensing foreign things, and the imagination that goes beyond that sense, are the primitive instincts for human survival. The anxiety that comes from the discomfort hidden in our unconscious allows us to sense danger that is not verbalized and protect ourselves. This anxiety also encourages the pursuit of truth.
 
In order to avoid being overwhelmed by the waves of change that are surging towards us, we need to sharpen our primitive senses to protect ourselves like a weapon.
 
 
In this exhibition, you will find works that evoke a sense of foreignness and unease about the unknown, and further expand the imagination of the viewer. There is no better medium to awaken this feeling than the visual medium of painting.
 

We introduce three Japanese and Korean artists who are creating different atmospheres and impressions with their unique creativity and concept, such as coexisting reality and sur-reality, or creating an unrealistic atmosphere while depicting their subjects realistically.
 

Woolim Lee (Korean, b 1972) transforms his daily experience into psychological one with a dreamy, fantastic atmosphere. He has depicted a dreamlike space, where reality and sur-reality exist side-by-side, as well as a boundary between humans and nature.

 

His works cross the boundary between real and sur-real with fictional figures and animals in the actual backgrounds, such as woods, water, stairs, fields, etc.

He uses his iconic figures and objects in his works like a woman wearing a flower patterned one piece, a man looking outside of canvas with no facial expression, and animals eyeing toward another direction.

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Each object, however, is not categorized in a coherent context but linked to each other fictitiously. This unique setting becomes a boundary that distinguishes reality from unreality in the work, and attracts viewers to his unique world, increasing their own imagination and interpretation.

His works are represented in the collections of Seoul Metropolitan Museum of Art, National Museum of Contemporary Art Art Bank. Kumho Museum, DAEGUARTMUSEUM, Seoul Municipal Boramae Hospital. Severance Hospital. Catholic Hospital, Hana Bank. Korea YAKULT co. ltd., 93 Museum. Kiturami Boiler Co.etc., Catholic University Hospital, WHITE BLOCK Art Center and etc.

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Hidehiko Iijima (Japan, b.1999) creates unique screens that coexist with cuteness and disgust. Using stuffed animals that appear both inorganic and organic as motifs, he expresses the duality of human nature and things, where cuteness and disgust, good and bad, always coexist. Inconsistent motifs such as trees, concrete blocks, and stuffed animals are placed together on the screen, evoking a sense of instability and discomfort. In addition, by mixing and fusing accidental techniques and planned techniques, he expresses the balance between the contradictory good and evil.

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Iijima selected for “100 People 10” competition 2021 and 2024. His talent was recognized early on wining the ``Independent Tokyo 2022'' Grand Prix and the ``WATOWA ART AWARD 2022''.  In addition to group exhibitions in various locations, including a group exhibition at White Stone Japan in 2023, he were also introduced at art fairs in the Netherlands and Taiwan.

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Mariko Enomoto (Japan, b.1982) creates a sense of visual discomfort and mysterious atmosphere through the combination of disparate objects, such as plants and animals integrated with women's bodies.

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These are Enomoto's emotional moments from her daily life that have been transformed into surreal scenes that cannot occur in reality.

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Enomoto's works transform extremely ordinary moments into screens that evoke inspiration and diverse interpretations, stimulating our creativity and making us look at our daily lives from a new perspective.

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Influenced by his grandparents who were Japanese painters, Enomoto grew up in an environment surrounded by paintings from an early age. As a self-taught painter, she has been introduced in group and solo exhibitions both domestically and internationally, and has also created works in a wide range of industries, including the cover illustrations of numerous books.

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