황체상
황체상

작가 소개

My practice draws upon the visual language of traditional Korean Buddhist painting to explore contemporary life and the inner world of the human mind. I examine the colors, patterns, symbols, and techniques found in Buddhist painting and dancheong (traditional decorative painting on wooden architecture), reinterpreting them through contemporary imagery and compositions. Through this process, I seek to explore the possibility of tradition becoming a new visual language through which we can speak about the emotions and experiences of life today.

At the heart of my work lies a contemplation of the Buddhist concept of emptiness (śūnyatā) and the nature of the human mind. The emotions, memories, desires, relationships, and social roles that we believe define who we are are constantly changing. From this perspective, my work asks what we hold on to as we move through life, and what remains when we let go. These questions unfold throughout my practice as a process of aspiration (balwon), spiritual practice and reflection, shedding (talpi), and ultimately returning to one’s original state.

Traditional Buddhist iconography, including images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, is reinterpreted in connection with contemporary life. At times, modern motifs such as astronauts and balloons coexist with traditional Buddhist imagery, embodying human desire and anxiety, dreams and hopes, healing and salvation. By bringing images from different eras together within a single pictorial space, I seek to convey the enduring philosophy of Buddhism through a contemporary visual language.

My works are created primarily on silk and wood using natural pigments, traditional coloring materials, dancheong pigments, and gold leaf. The meticulous linework, repetitive patterns, and traditional process of building up layers of color are not merely techniques for completing an artwork; they also become a form of spiritual practice—a meditative process through which I observe and reflect upon my own mind.

Ultimately, rather than simply reproducing tradition, I seek to reconsider the philosophy and visual language accumulated within it through a contemporary sensibility. Through the enduring ideas of Buddhism, I explore the desires and anxieties, healing and hopes of people living today. I hope that encountering my work may offer viewers a brief moment of contemplation—a moment to turn inward and reflect upon their own minds and their original state of being.