NAMGOONG Whan: Artist Q&A
NAMGOONG Whan in his studio. Photo by LEE A Young
“I paint at the pace of my daily breath”
- NAMGOONG Whan
NAMGOONG Whan was born in 1975 in Seoul, South Korea, and graduated from the prestigious Seoul National University in 2000. After moving to Paris, he continued his studies at the ENSBA National School of Fine Art where he obtained his degree in 2003. He currently lives and works in Paris. Whan creates works in painting, ink on paper, acrylic, interferential pigment, phosphorescent pigment, mixed media on canvas and installations. The artist’s artworks materialise his inner perceptions and primordial energy which runs through his body as he paints.
In 2004, Namgoong was awarded the Special Prize at the Danwon Art Festival (South Korea), and in 2002 with the "Pierre David-Weil"(France) third prize. He has exhibited internationally in the past twenty years. Selected exhibitions include: ENTOPTIMA - Parabole at “Mutatio” in FIAC, Curated by Franck MARLOT. Paris, 2019; ENTOPTIMA at Artloft-Lee Bauwens Gallery. Brussels in 2018, ENTOPTIC at the Korean Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium in 2015, Fort Intérieur Whanki Museum, Seoul in 2011, Fort Intérieur Jean Brolly Gallery Paris in 2011.
OPENART Proust Questionnaire
Artist Q&A: NAMGOONG Whan
Q: How are you?
NW: I’m fine, I’m doing very well.
Q: What is your present state of mind?
NW: I’m about to move my studio and it’s really exciting, but it’s also tough, tiring. But it’s dynamic, it’s good!
Q: What is your best moment or experience during lockdown?
NW: In general, I live quite confined, so being cloistered during lockdown was the moment where I could concentrate the utmost to create and specifically to practice ceramics, a discipline that I have just discovered.
Q: Do you work with music or in silence?
NW: Rather in silence or else with people speaking loudly in cacophony.
Q: Last song, album or podcast that inspired you?
NW: I’m not necessarily inspired by but I like a Korean singer IU. Her last released album is my favorite record at the moment.
Q: Which do you like more poetry or literature?
NW: All, poetry…all.
Q: What was the last book that inspired you?
NW: At the moment, it’s rather a very old book from Confucius or Lao Tseu period. We call it the Zhong Yong. A book that talks about a concept very related to Entoptima, my work. It talks about how to optimize one state of mind, physically and spiritually…Something like that.
Q: What is your favorite color?
NW: My favorite color? As you can see, I have no favorite color. There are the black and white. To me they are colors. They allow me to show the inner part, the essence of things. Same for my phosphorescence paintings. When it’s dark they become monochromatic, and it’s the same idea.
Q: Who is your favorite artist?
NW: My favorite artist…honestly not an easy one…I would say James Turrell.
Q: What inspired you to become an artist?
NW: It’s probably my father. He’s a great inspiration as he’s also an artist, and I grew up in an artistic environment.
Q: What is the role of an artist in society?
NW: I think the role of the artist is very important. But depends on the artist. They are different roles, and mine is to try to create artworks with my energy through my body. I create a situation in 2D or 3D installations that allow people to enter the universe to reach the Zhong Yong, the Entoptima state I’m talking about. In Korean language, the Zhong Yong is Entoptima, the Entoptima state I’m talking about. I’m kind of a shaman, an intermediary.
Q: What is your motto in life?
NW: Well, as I have been sick…at the moment, I try to live every day fully. As long as I breathe, I do something, I create, I imagine.
Q: What is your motto in your artistic practice?
NW: I think it’s the same answer as the previous question.
Q: What are some of your upcoming projects?
NW: My upcoming project is already underway. I’m moving my studio near Fontainebleau (South of Paris). It’s three times bigger than the current one. I’m preparing and cleaning up. I have a room for paintings and two or three others for ceramics and my ink on papers.
Thank you, Whan!
NW: Thanks, a lot!
@namgoong_whan
Inner Room with a View
Curated by Marion Lamy
OPENART Virtual Group Exhibition
28 February - 30 June 2021
For inquiries & media information:
info@openartadvisory.com
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Christine Lee
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+917.224.0680
www.openartadvisory.com
Image courtesy of the artist.