OMAE Gallery proudly celebrates its grand opening in Samcheong-dong with the second solo exhibition of artist Jongryang Kim. His first solo show at OMAE in 2022, titled The Spirit of Eternity, marked a significant moment in the lacquerware field by presenting contemporary artworks rooted in traditional craftsmanship. The exhibition drew wide attention from the najeon and ottchil community for its bold crossover into contemporary art, ultimately leading to the prestigious selection of Kim’s large-scale work Iceberg – The Spirit of Eternity (3 meters wide) for permanent installation at the VIP lounge in Incheon International Airport’s Terminal 2, scheduled to open at the end of 2024.

 

This new exhibition offers an extraordinary opportunity to witness New Dream Journey to the Peach Blossom Land – Najeon, a monumental 7-meter-wide lacquer painting rarely seen in private gallery settings due to its scale. The work embodies Kim’s vision of honoring and reinterpreting the nobility of traditional Korean mother-of-pearl art within a modern context. We warmly invite you to experience this rare and meaningful presentation of contemporary lacquerware at OMAE Gallery, from September 9 to October 26, 2024, at 20, Samcheong-ro 7-gil, Seoul.

 

The brilliance of Wang-taek Oh’s work lies in his meticulous observation of flowers and plants, which he transforms into exceptional mother-of-pearl designs through his signature technique. His najeon patterns, born of both deep tradition and refined creativity, are not only artistically compelling but also adaptable—manifesting as furniture, wall pieces, and contemplative objets d’art. Each work requires an extraordinary amount of time and precision, resulting in a body of work so rare that only a fortunate few can claim the privilege of collecting these treasures.

 

With the heartfelt wish that people might one day “stand in line to see my works while I’m still alive,” Oh’s practice is driven by both artistic vision and a quiet yearning for recognition. The pieces on view are not merely decorative—they are, in every sense, treasures. In this exhibition, the artist presents works that embody that very dream: to share something truly rare, enduring, and radiant with the world.

 

In this exhibition, the artist reinterprets the assertive language often found in protest slogans by stripping them of their original context and reconstructing them through aesthetic and spatial compositions. Bold, primary-colored slogans—typically intended to demand attention—are softened and fragmented on translucent silk, preventing them from fully penetrating and instead allowing them to reverberate ambiguously. Slogans collected from the Sewoon District and familiar everyday symbols are reorganized into sculptural, visual arrangements that defy conventional reading and grammar. Through this process, meaning becomes fluid, unsettled, and open to reinterpretation.

 

Building on previous works involving site-specific performances and video, where domestic gestures such as sewing or grinding met institutional or public spaces, this exhibition shifts focus to the intersection of place and text. The fragmented words are no longer just read—they are inhabited. Installed as semi-transparent, dimensional structures in real urban settings, these textual sculptures lose, exaggerate, or transform their meanings. When placed in overlooked or contested spaces, such as those in the Sewoon District, these delicate installations prompt reflection on the relationship between language, memory, public space, and collective experience.

 

The Traces of Inertia explores how language, stripped from its original context, can shift in meaning when reassembled through form and space. Protest slogans and everyday signs are fragmented and arranged on translucent silk, their assertive tones softened and made ambiguous. By removing the urgency of their original use, the artist invites viewers to consider the fluidity of language and the ways in which aesthetic order can obscure or transform intent.

 

Moving from earlier performance and video works focused on gestures in public spaces, this exhibition brings text into physical form. Installed within urban environments, these silk-based structures interact with the texture of place, creating tension between visibility and disappearance. The Traces of Inertia reflects on how traces of resistance, memory, and repetition linger quietly in both language and the spaces we inhabit.

 

Drawn into the Line traces the artistic journey of Seonmi Kim, who began in ceramics before immersing herself in the world of Korean folk painting (minhwa). Captivated by the spontaneous lines found in buncheong pottery, she pursued the origins of such expressive gestures—only to find herself in the rigorously controlled realm of royal decorative painting, where precision in line and color was paramount. Her technical mastery culminated in the award-winning Horyeopdo (Tiger Hunting Scene), yet even this success could not quiet her longing for freedom. The formal structures that had once disciplined her hand began to feel confining, and she found herself drawn once again to the intuitive, the imperfect, the alive.

 

In this new body of work, Kim steps away from ornamental perfection and returns to the raw vitality of the line. Influenced by Taoist philosophy, she embraces the paradox of great skill appearing unskilled (大巧若拙), letting go of control to allow spontaneity and sincerity to emerge. Her lines, though simple, carry the weight of repetition, devotion, and an evolving visual consciousness. Drawn into the Line marks not only a stylistic transition, but a philosophical one—toward a practice that values clarity through imperfection, and grace through letting go.

 

OMAE Gallery opens its 2024 program with a powerful group exhibition featuring three distinguished Korean women artists: Kim Sooncheol, Seo Sooyoung, and Jung Hyunsook. Titled “The Moon Is Rising—Let’s Go”, the show draws inspiration from a song by Jang Kiha, capturing a sense of renewed determination—a fitting energy for the early new year when resolutions often begin to fade. Each artist brings her own vibrant material language—Kim with thread on hanji, Seo with gold leaf on hanji, and Jung with mother-of-pearl and crystal. Despite the diversity of media, their works are united by a shared thematic core: the expression of hope, prayer, and personal yearning.

 

In Korean culture, the moon is more than a celestial body—it symbolizes deep wishes, silent prayers, and the cyclical rhythm of the universe. These artists visualize such sentiments through vessel-like forms that resemble traditional jars, yet evoke something far more expansive: inner desire and cosmic continuity. As the moon rises, so too does the call to act, to begin again. Through this exhibition, we invite viewers to absorb the full and glowing energy of these works—an invitation to reignite purpose and step forward with clarity and strength.

From December 18, 2023 to January 12, 2024, OMAE Gallery presents a solo exhibition by artist Jeoung-eun Kim, showcasing her deeply luminous lacquer paintings (ottchil-hwa). As the year turns and the days grow shorter, the rich, natural radiance of traditional Korean lacquer resonates even more profoundly. This is the season when the quiet depth of ottchil—derived from nature—reveals its most poetic beauty.

 

Kim’s works are a vivid celebration of color. Her canvases shimmer with a surprising range of hues, transforming memories long folded away into fragrant, vibrant narratives. Through her mastery of lacquer and her intuitive sense of color, Kim invites us to step into a world where darkness holds light, and forgotten emotions bloom anew. It is, quite simply, a captivating experience.

 

Seung-hye Shin’s work explores the unfamiliar energy and beauty that arise from the interplay of multiple emotions and elements. At the heart of her practice lies an ongoing investigation into human relationships—those intricate, paradoxical forces we both seek out and strive to escape. For Shin, relationships are not fixed states but dynamic tensions, marked by attraction, resistance, and transformation.

 

She views the world as a vast web—one in which we are all entangled, whether comfortably nestled within its threads or struggling to break free. These webs mirror the fragile patterns of connection in our lives: sometimes carefully maintained, sometimes swept away in an instant. Through her art, Shin embraces this cycle of formation and loss, offering a visual meditation on the delicate, ever-shifting structures that define our existence.

 

Yu-young Eun paints the meeting point of reality and eternity, matter and spirit. In her work, mother-of-pearl functions as both material and particle, continuously generating waves of iridescent light through its interaction with illumination. Through this, the artist seeks to convey a wide spectrum of colors and sensations to the viewer.

 

The interaction of mother-of-pearl serves as a visual bridge between the physical and spiritual realms. The works offer varying experiences depending on the viewer’s gaze and shifts in light, inviting each person to form their own emotional and interpretive response.

 

These pieces are characterized by their indeterminate and transformative nature, suggesting a constant evolution beyond the constraints of time and space. This conceptual framework connects the work to a dynamic “void,” opening the door to infinite possibility.

 

Transcending the limits of materiality, Eun’s work evokes a cosmic atmosphere and encourages metaphysical reflection. Through her art, she gracefully expresses complex ideas, offering viewers a sensory experience and a space for profound contemplation.