Inyoung Seoung’s work draws parallels between humankind and nature. She considers people to be in a perpetual state of growth, reaching up and moving forward like trees to light. The Korea-born, Southern California-based artist one day found herself admiring her own backyard, where she was impressed by the fact that no two trees were alike, and that they contain an infinite supply of design that she emulates in her drawings and installations.
What began as a drawing series in pen eventually expanded into her mural works, curiously drawn using thin, black strips of electrical tape. In an email to Hi-Fructose, Seoung explained that the method originated from her first installation, where she had to find a way to make a piece that could be removed easily. She choose electrical tape because it most closely resembled her pen linework. Today, her murals are an essential part of her work, where her drawings appear to “grow” off the canvas. She calls this series “Unconcious” because she also relates tree branches to our unconscious desires.
“I sought to communicate with the viewer I found identity corresponding with unconsciousness in my installation space. My drawing works are also want to represent each individual’s uniqueness. Difference from the installation, drawings could easily be in various spaces which collectors choose. That specific space plays an important role for individual drawings. Just like how each individual people find themselves in various different social settings throughout their lives, it changes characteristics to each drawing,” she says.
Photos courtesy The Midway Gallery in San Francisco, where Inyoung Seoung’s work will be on view from May 1st through June 30th, 2016.
Austrian-born