Gihun evokes a fantastical world which is both magical and cynical, uniquely blending the melancholic and playful qualities in everyday scenes that are both familiar and unsettling. Characters preparing for an uncertain future, represent a sense of hope and resilience.
Through large scale paintings Gihun evokes a fantastical world which is both magical and cynical, uniquely blending the melancholic and playful qualities in everyday scenes that are both familiar and unsettling. Childlike, masked characters inhabit a muted and desolate world of clouded skies, mountains, and remnants of human cities.
Gihun highlights the dualistic Western way of thinking which separates spirit and matter, and has led people to see themselves as separate from nature. This self-centered perspective threatens the balance of life. As we face crises like climate change driven by human desires, the next generation must find ways to survive. The masked characters in the work, preparing for an uncertain future, represent a sense of hope and resilience.
Gihun invites viewers to engage with his paintings through their imagination. Using a mix of acrylic and oil stick, he builds his compositions by blocking in flat shapes with acrylic and then using oil stick to give them a textured quality. Emphasising the use of recycled materials, from the silk wallpaper remnants commonly found in Korean homes to leftover school supplies, such as brushes, water containers, and paints, Gihun builds layers of meaning into his artworks and invites viewers to look beyond the surface of their fantastical imagery to contemplate the fragile balance of life in the modern world.