KYONG BOON OH: On the Path

May 14, 2022 - July 9, 2022

Opening Reception: Saturday, May 14th from 6PM-9PM

With a methodical and repetitious approach, Oh weaves together  threads of wire to create forms that are intertwined in complexity and  order. Using various types of metal wire, Oh constructs life-size figurative  pieces, as well as smaller abstract sculptures. She works between the  two subjects, as a way of exploring the physical self, the emotional self,  and the tension between these two expressions.  

Alongside her wire compositions, Oh presents a second body of work,  in which she meticulously hand-carves 2-foot columns of limestone.  Each one is hollowed out and shaped with organic twists and curves.  In mining and geology, one of these cylindrical samples of sediment is  referred to as a “core.” For Oh, these carvings are about getting to the  core of things unseen. 

The labor-intensive process of weaving and carving forces Oh to work  slowly, allowing her to enter into a meditative state. In her abstract  sculptures, Oh views the linear shapes she constructs as literal pathways,  imagining that she could walk along them and move through the piece.  In building these pathways, Oh investigates the negative space that is  left behind, viewing these small, breathable gaps as resting places for  her mind. She refers to this space as “a place of reconcilliation.” 

Oh originally began her artistic career as a painter, making 8-foot tall  figurative paintings. However, her transition into sculpture came from a  desire to have more physical interaction with her work.

Korean-born Kyong Boon Oh received her B.F.A. from the School of the  Art Institue of Chicago in 2002 and her B.S. in Mathematics from Korea  University in Seoul in 1996. She is a founding member of the Stone  Sculptors Guild of Orange County (SSGOC). 

Image Caption: ID ME - Self Portrait and ID ME - 6 Year Old, brass wire, chicken wire, galvanized steel wire, 40” x 68” x 38” and 27” x 45” x 25”