LOIS LAMBERT GALLERY
KYONG BOON OH: Walk Slowly - Unknown Path
MAy 20 - July 8, 2023
Opening Reception: Saturday, May 20, 6-9PM
Kyong Boon Oh, Walk Slowly - Unknown Path 7, discarded water bottles, stainless steel wire, aluminum wire, brass wire, 50” x 66” x 18”
Lois Lambert Gallery presents Walk Slowly - Unknown Path, the newest exhibit of work by sculptor Kyong Boon Oh.
Methodically and repetitiously, Oh weaves together threads of wire to create forms that are intertwined in complexity and order. Using various types of metal wire, Oh constructs abstract sculptures that are suspended from the ceiling. These new hanging sculptures are organic forms that serve as a record of Oh’s “action of weaving.”
The act of weaving together single strands of wire is labor-intensive and forces Oh to work slowly. During this process, Oh meditates and reflects on the emotional and spiritual struggles she experiences as a first-generation American immigrant. The process of creating is just as important to Oh as the final work itself. “My art mirrors my feelings of dislocation, nostalgia, and desire for belonging. It is reflective of my effort to assimilate. I pursue intimacy with the medium to make a meditative shelter from the angst of my life experience.”
Oh creates each piece one step at a time, seeking order but expecting chaos and dissonance. Many threads of wire inevitably tangle with one another and dictate her next move. Oh says, “my art is like mapping a brand new pathway that is unknown to me. This path exists somewhere between chaos and order and is guided by my intuition.” She views a single thread of wire as a physical pathway for the mind and uses the repetitive action of weaving wire to symbolize the continuity of time.
Initially, Oh’s work was driven by her need for solitude. However, this exhibition has moved her to seek further engagement with, not only her own experiences, but the experiences of others. “Now I find myself moving from the path of solitude, toward engagement and expressiveness,” she says. “What differentiates these sculptures from my previous work is my use of expressive voids, emotionally charged colors, and found objects.” Oh combines her materials with hundreds of discarded water bottles, subtly addressing environmental issues.
As an effort of social engagement, Kyong Boon Oh has developed the Flow with Medium workshop, a community art project that she has established with funding from artist grants. Oh considers the Flow withMedium community project to be the expression of her involvement with the world. She hopes that her artwork and the workshop will provide others with the opportunity to reveal and map their own personal histories.
Korean-born Kyong Boon Oh received her BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2002 and her BS in Mathematics from Korea University in Seoul, in 1996. She is a founding member of the Stone Sculptors Guild of Orange County (SSGOC).
Lois Lambert Gallery, Bergamot Station
2525 Michigan Ave., #E3, Santa Monica, CA 90404
(310) 829-6990 | info@loislambertgallery.com
Hours: Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00am - 6:00pm