SoHyun Bae and Choong Sup Lim. Wind, Water, Stone

About

This exhibition encourages us to think expansively about the creative process and takes its title from a 1979 poem “Wind, Water, Stone” by the celebrated Mexican poet Octavio Paz, first published in English in The Collected Poems of Octavio Paz 1957-1987 and put together by the poet’s English translator Eliot Weinberger. The poem, as summarized by the poet Roger Caillois explores the interconnectedness and transformational qualities of water, wind, and stone. Each element interacts with and influences the others in a perpetual cycle of change. Water erodes stone over time, wind disperses water, and stone provides a barrier to the wind. These interactions illustrate the dynamic and fluid nature of existence, where each element takes on roles of creation, containment, and movement in a continuous cycle. The poem reflects on the philosophical idea that everything in the world is inter-connected and constantly evolving despite their apparent solidity or permanence. Despite their varied experiences working across different time periods, SoHyun Bae and Choong Sup Lim manage to engage in an intergenerational dialogue while continuing their long-standing commitment to the exploration of a completely personal and original style of abstraction whose true meaning lies not merely in formal arrangement but in spiritual meaning that fuels intangible ideas around human nature while simultaneously meditating on the human condition. As artists who continue to live and work in New York over several decades, they have developed a highly experimental approach to making art that combines acute awareness of the role of transnationalism in the creative process with a deep passion for exploring the nuances of their Korea America heritage to create works of universal resonance that often defy easy categorization.