Solitary by Patrick Colhoun at the Ben Oakley Gallery
With exhibition ‘Solitary’, contemporary sculpture artist Patrick Colhoun introduces his new take on the dark nature his previous works dealt with, going from grievous to playful in an utterly unique way.
With exhibition ‘Solitary’, contemporary sculpture artist Patrick Colhoun introduces his new take on the dark nature his previous works dealt with, going from grievous to playful in an utterly unique way.
When an artist is capable of expressing himself through his works of art, transferring his feelings to objects and sculptures and translating even the darkest thoughts into every little physical detail; that is when art has reached its greatest version. The man that stands by this method and masters it simultaneously is contemporary sculpture artist Patrick Colhoun.
“I have a strong belief in myself and my work. I am confident that my work has the potential to stand out and as long as I can keep making that sort of work, I will keep progressing. How far though, in this game, is anyone’s guess.”
Patrick Colhoun’s art is known for treating dark subjects such as death, decay, sexual deviancy and aggression. Dealing with grief and difficult encounters he has experienced in the past, many say the work he produced in his previous years has been a way to express his emotions, portraying them in an extreme and mesmerizing way.
Today, 6 years after his last solo exhibition, Patrick’s creations have taken another turn, shedding a light upon his previous work and changing the atmosphere from grievous to playful. The exhibition: Solitary is the third part of a series of 3 exhibitions. Having taken place at Belfast and Dublin, it is now London’s turn to be wow-ed by the artist’s ability to move with sculpture. The exhibition still deals with memories from Colhoun’s past, however this time he highlights the parts he likes remembering. Solitary combines contemporary sculpture and mixed media to create something that Patrick calls ‘anti-ceramics’. Striving upon the idea of being unique, the artist surprises every time, may it be with unseen material combinations or objects that are as far removed from ceramics as possible.
“I want to do ceramics, but not as you know it. I started introducing other materials to the ceramic base, including latex, neon, hosiery, spikes and piercings, all things not usually associated with traditional ceramics.”
Solitary will take place at the Ben Oakley Gallery from the 13th until the 29th of November.
Maeng Wookjae is the Big Game Ceramic Hunter
Enter into the mind of one the most exciting up-and-coming South Korean artists of our time.
In some pieces, Maeng Wookjae adorns his ceramic animal sculptures on wooden plaques that resemble the severed heads of big game. The kind you would see in a trigger-happy Safari hunter’s lodgings. But they’re not the installations of a taxidermist. They’re ceramic, and thus fragile, just like the wild and vulnerable animals that Wookjae sculpts.
Auguste Rodin once said, “nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.” His words could not be more relevant than to Maeng Wookjae – who’s artistic expression was found during his time spent travelling to North America. I interviewed the South Korean artist himself, and his environmental conscience struck me just as potently as his sculptures do.
What is the significance of the gold eyes in your ceramic sculptures?
They can be shown to audiences in several ways. First, people can see themselves reflected in the shiny gold eyes. The scenery on the eyes represents our very plentiful environment, which can be compared with a plentiful environment for other creatures too. It also represents how the animals look from our human perspective. The colour of gold doesn’t always seem cold because it is metallic – there is warmness in it.
Would you say that one of the biggest turning points of your career were your visits to North America? If so, why?
Yes, my work changed after visiting North America. I went to a residence program called the Archie Bray foundation, after finishing my M.F.A in Korea. The environment was quite rural in comparison to life in Seoul, which is a very crowded city. I had wondrous, fresh experiences such as several chances to meet wild animals face to face.
For example, a friend of mine and I drove to another friend’s house and there was a deer on the narrow road. Usually wild animals run away from people but the deer was standing in the middle of the road. The deer looked at the ground and us several times. When I looked closer, I saw a dead baby deer. I can’t still forgot the moment of having eye contact with the mother deer.
Another moment I strongly recall was a time where I was on the way to home and found a huge dead deer by the road. I felt so sorry and immensely sad. At that time, some teenagers walked through the area and one guy loudly said something to the dead deer and spat on its carcass. I was really surprised and I tried to understand that situation. I thought maybe a wild animal injured one of his family or friends.
And then I started to have a deep concern about the relationship between humans and animals. I continued my North America trip with a residency at the Banff Centre in Canada. And I had more priceless experiences with wild animals.
Let’s talk a little bit about your most recent work – Family. What was the creative process and inspiration behind that?
It began with the thought “Are we a family?” I combined humans and other life forms on the works. Some people see the work; view it positively, friendly and relate to it. I wanted to lead people to think and talk about our environmental conditions with other creatures.
Have you noticed a difference between the reactions of your Western and Far-Eastern audiences? In other words – how do Americans and Europeans react to work in comparison to Koreans?
From what I’ve seen, the western audience are more interested in my works than Koreans. I think it’s because of the difference in perspective about how both cultures view art. My works focus on presenting social issues and environmental issues rather than an expression of beauty. Young people in Korea show an interest [in my work], and try to understand my expression, but a lot of the older audience don’t think it’s an art piece. They might just think ‘it’s not related to my life’, although my works tell a story about universal issues. The art market in Korea is small and restricted to the very famous artists. But it’s beginning to get better now.
As well as being represented by the Mindy Solomon gallery like you, Kate MacDowell’s work is rather similar to yours. I wanted to ask you if you would you consider doing a collaborative work with her?
I’ve seen her artwork on the web. And I like her work. It could be interesting to do something with her – I think it’s always good showing works together that convey similar themes.
If you had to choose, who are your top 5 favourite contemporary artists?
Anish Kapoor, Antony Gormley, Damien Hirst, Olafur Eliasson, Clare Twomey.
What can we expect from Maeng Wookjae in 2016?
Recently, I’m trying to make an exhibition through an installation. I find that installations are a more effective way to connect my works to audiences. So I will challenge myself to make this creative way of expression.
