Seon Ghi Bahk

Edwin
Seon Ghi Bahk
He’s a Korean artist born in SunSan in South
Korea in 1966 and he lives and works in
Gyeonggi-do. He was awarded the Kim Chong
Yung Sculpture Award in 2006.

When he was young his family was always busy

so he would be alone most of the time. Some
things he was influenced by were trees,
mountains and the wind. He can’t use the
mountains or wind in his art, but he can use
trees. That's why his art always has lots of
charcoal.

He uses mainly natural material in his art. He

make sculptures and hanging installations.
Place two of your artist’s works here with titles, dates, medium of each.

Title: An aggregate 201103 Title: A play of infinity 09-09

Date: 2011 Date: 2009

Medium: Medium: Coloring on mixed media

● Charcoal
● Nylon threads
● Stone
Seon Ghi Bahk style or time period of artwork
An Aggregation 201301
Bahk Seon-Ghi creates structures by
using charcoal and suspending them
with transparent nylon thread.

This contemporary artist's collection of

charcoal installations are designed to
reflect on and criticize our relationship
with nature.
Seon Ghi Bahk’s A play of infinity 09-09
Brief explanation of your media, your interest in
this kind of work and artist. I really like the
media he uses. But I don’t have the things to
make a sculpture so I used charcoal and
charcoal pencils because he uses charcoal a
lot.

How was your process in creating your own

artwork like the ones your artist created?

Making the outline was very easy and after that

I used a charcoal pencil to darken the outlines
of the triangle and I used charcoal to shade it.
Videos and 5 key facts
5 key facts about Seon Ghi Bahk time period in
which they worked. In the 2010s:

1) 2011-2013 Korean Artist Program
please watch 3:45 - 4:45
2) Theo Jansen’s Wind-Powered Sculptures
| The New Yorker
1. Recognizing works by more diverse artists (in
gender, ethnicity, etc.) became a priority.
2. The market for African art grew internationally.
3. Portrait painting became more personal and
political, with many artists “focused on the
forgotten and the excluded.”
4. Many artists began using craft-based
techniques - which go really far back in
history - like weaving, in their work.
5. Street art became more popular.

https://www.artsy.net/series/decade-art/artsy-editorial-art-movements-2010s
Other artists who worked in that time period
This is called the Ujamaa This is called Mask ll

Made by Moses On'gesa Made by Ron Mueck

Year: Between 2000-2011 Year: 2011

(unknown what year)
Describe time period or artistic style period before your artist was working.
The twentieth century was one of the most
eventful times in the world of art. Abstract art
began and became very popular. A lot of big
global events and changes took place in the
20th century, from wars to politics to social
issues, and this influenced the art made at the
time - which became known as ‘Modern Art’.
Some art movements in this time were: Fauvism
, Cubism, Futurism, Dada, Surrealism,
Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Minimalism,
Conceptual Art, Photorealism, and
Neo-Expressionism.
Some different styles and mediums at this time were
multiple perspectives, non-representational colours,
dripping paint on canvas, using black canvas,
sculptures of pop culture items, large areas of flat
colour and more.
I think the artist was hoping to make his art three
dimensional to change from the previous art period,
when it was more two dimensional. The fact that he
didn’t use a canvas or paint or clay was different from
most artists in the twentieth century. Maybe by doing
something different from everyone else he thought
people would notice his work more.
Art & Artists from the 20th Century - Previous Art Period
This style of art is called Futurism.
Futurism was an artistic and
social movement that originated in
Italy in the early 20th century. It
focused on speed, technology, youth,
violence, and industrial objects like
cars, planes and tools.

Gino Severini, 1912, Dynamic

Hieroglyphic of the Bal Tabarin, oil on
canvas with sequins, 161.6 x 156.2
cm (63.6 x 61.5 in.),
Museum of Modern Art, New York
Art & Artists from the 20th Century - Previous Art Period

(Left) Pop Art

Andy Warhol, 1968
Campbell’s Soup

(Right) Abstract Art

Robert Delaunay, 1912–13
Le Premier Disque
Elements and Principles of Design
Please write about the use of Elements and Principles and how each of these is important in this artist’s work and the
artistic style movement in general.
Elements: Line, Shape, Colour, Space, Texture, Form, Value
Principles: Balance, Contrast, Emphasis, Movement, Pattern, Rhythm, Unity

For instance, “This artist paints with (bold/dark/light) colours and values, which provides high contrast in
his/her work”

This artist creates his installations using charcoal, which provides texture and colour.
This artists uses black charcoal, which provides high contrast because the walls are white and his art is
black. It stand out.
He lines up bits of charcoal using nylon thread, and this is how he uses lines and creates what looks like a
form (a staircase) out of pieces of charcoal.
This artists uses just charcoal, which provides unity because it is just one material.
He creates unity by hanging bits of charcoal to look like a man-made object. It is almost like putting
together a puzzle.
This artist creates his artwork in three dimensions, which provides movement and pattern and rhythm.
Seon Ghi Bahk

Title: An aggregate-stair 2008

Date: 2008

Medium: Charcoal and nylon threads

Location where this work is exhibited or

housed:

Korean Art Museum

Seoul, South Korea

Critical Analysis process

Initial Reaction
At first this art reminds me of something sci fi.
Or a special effect or graphic in a movie.
This art makes me feel like I’m in the future
because it looks like it’s hovering in space.
It makes me wonder what is it made of and
how did it get there. Also I wonder why
doesn’t he add other materials in his art. And
what made him want to do this instead of
paintings or sculpture.
Critical Analysis process

Description
Charcoal and transparent nylon thread were
used to make this installation.
His technique is that he hangs hundreds or
thousands of pieces of charcoal using the
thread to make it look like a real object.
This piece is three dimensional. All the
pieces have to be in the right spot for it to
give the impression that it is stairs.
He makes sculptures like this all the time
using charcoal. Charcoal is produced by
burning wood.
Critical Analysis process
Cultural Context
This piece of art was made in 2008 in Korea. It is part of the
Korean Artist Project (KAP), a global online site that presents
series of online art shows featuring artwork by Korean artists.
The purpose of it is to promote Korean artists on an
international scale. The internet is a great way to do that.
This project is an example of how in the 2010s, people started
focusing on works by more diverse artists.
I think it was created for an audience of people all around the
world. His thoughts about humans and the environment is
something he wants to share with people around the world.
The internet is his way to reach this audience.
This artwork might have a connection to our present society or
future society by helping us to realize how we are abusing the
environment and making us want to change. That would be his
social reason for creating this artwork.
Critical Analysis process

Analysis
In this piece of art the main elements that are important are
line, space, form and texture. The main principles are
Emphasis, Pattern, Rhythm and Unity.
The main focal point is the stairs and charcoal because it’s
the only thing here and it’s very different from a lot of art.
It’s very low contrast. It has only one kind of shade but there’s
a pattern when the staircase spirals and where the charcoals
are placed.
The artist has suggested movement by hanging materials in
the form of a staircase, which makes your eyes move up and
down and makes me think about the movement of going up
or down a staircase.
I think the feeling of balance was created by the amount of
charcoal being spread evenly at each step.
Critical Analysis process

Interpretation
The art of Seon Ghi Bahk is of things that are man-
made and unnatural - like stairs and tables. But he uses
something that comes from nature - charcoal. Charcoal
is made from burning wood. So I think his art is about
how humans abuse the earth.
To me, this art feels very original and that’s what makes
this nice and refreshing. It connects with my life
because I love being outside in nature, especially with
the spring coming. So it makes me appreciate it and not
want to see humans destroy it or misuse it. We have to
respect the environment.
Critical Analysis process

Informed Point of View

I do think this was successful because he wanted to make it
look like a staircase and he did. I might add some different
materials like wood or metal, as it would go along with how
he uses natural things to make unnatural, man-made things.
Because he had to hang each piece of charcoal perfectly to
make it look like a staircase, it looks intricate and I think it
took a lot of time and effort. He used a large space and he
must have used thousands of pieces of thread and charcoal.
It must have taken a lot of patience and maybe was
frustrating to put together.
At first I thought it was just a staircase and I thought it was
cool how realistic it looks, but I like it more now that I know it
is about the environment and that is also important to me.
 Works Cited
https://mymodernmet.com/seon-ghi-bahk-an-aggregate-charcoal-sculptures/
http://www.koreanartistproject.com/eng_artist.art?method=artistView&flag=artist&auth_reg_no=40
https://www.bookastreetartist.com/bahk-seon-ghi#charcoal-installations
http://www.andresthalmann.com/default-cms.aspx?cmsid=18&sel=3
https://www.operagallery.com/bahk-seon-ghi#:~:text=He%20lives%20and%20works%20in,and%20Southgate%2
0College%20in%20London
.
http://www.artnet.com/artists/seon-ghi-bahk/biography
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/an-aggregate-201103-supplemental/ngGdsDrim-_9qQ?childassetid=BwE
1UulQK4w0gQ
https://www.odetoart.com/?p=artwork&a=10127,An%20Aggregate%20201103%20&artist=Bahk%20Seonghi
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/E_2012-2034-7
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/10/the-hyperrealistic-sculptures-of-ron-mueck/100606/
https://www.artsy.net/series/decade-art/artsy-editorial-art-movements-2010s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th-century_art
https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/an-aggregate-stair-2008-bahk-seon-ghi/WwHEMBnAyImZwg
https://www.artsy.net/artwork/seon-ghi-bahk-an-aggregation-201301-1
 Reflect on what you have learned by answering these questions in full sentences.

One surprising fact I learned about this artist was what influenced him as
a child, like nature and being alone.

I found this artist interesting because his art is different from anything I’ve
seen before.

I understand more about art in the 20th century and how art is changing.

I still want to know what ideas this artist has for his art in the future.