UNFAMILIAR LANDSCAPE 7 | SANG A HAN

Sang A Han (Seoul, 1987) studied oriental painting at Hongik University in Seoul. Fascinated by traditional techniques, Han creates a series of artworks titled unfamiliar landscape, whose style is deliberately inspired by Sansuhwa, traditional Korean landscape paintings that reveal a strong connection with the native nature and surrounding environment.
Han’s practice is characterized by a spiritual gaze, attentive to the hidden meanings beneath the surface. This is confirmed by her choice of fabric instead of paper as a support, due to the way the ink filters and spreads through it. According to the artist, this process is similar to how the body transforms experiences into memories, “feelings that slowly penetrate the fibers.”

The artwork unfamiliar landscape 7, created in 2016, is presented as a large canvas, drawn with a particular type of ink called meok: also known as inkstick, meok is a type of solidified ink, composed of a mixture of glue and soot obtained from the combustion of vegetable resin. The mark it leaves on the support, whether paper or fabric, is similar to that of charcoal.
The unfamiliar landscape suggested by the title can be recognized in the sense of confusion and disorientation generated by the combination of the two main elements of this artwork: the smoky vortex on the right, and the figure “drowning” in the large black stain on the left, as if it were sinking into darkness.
Han uses a figurative language, which at times veers into symbolism. The position of the body is a striking example: lying on its back, arms open, semi-nude.
The artwork is characterized by a strong dynamism, given both by the intense and swirling stroke, and by the inclined pose of the main figure, which simulates a movement in progress.

The “unfamiliar landscape” is, in a broader sense, associated with everything that surrounds us but is not part of our daily life; in other words, reality itself, in all its ruthless and honest rawness.

29/06/24

UNFAMILIAR LANDSCAPE 7 | SANG A HAN

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