Ellen Yeong Gyeong Son

︎  ︎          







Between You and I (2018)


13 Jan 2018 - 3 Feb 2018
KINGS, Australia






Between You and I investigates how our perception of the world is coloured by the cultural conditions in which we are situated.

As a child I remember making glasses with red and blue cellophane. The world that I saw through these lenses was tinted and glitched across a spectrum of red, purple and blue. Years later, moving to different countries and meeting people from diverse cultural backgrounds I realized that my vision was limited to, and coloured by, traditional Korean values and language.

In 1443-1444 King Sejong and his scholars invented the Korean characters called ‘Hangul’. These characters corresponded to Korean speech. Prior to their invention Chinese characters had been used to represent Korean speech. The 28 characters were designed to be easy to learn and use so that ‘Hangul’ could be adopted by all Korean people. The first text, ‘세종어제훈민정음 Sejongeojae Hunminjeongeum’, written by King Sejong and his scholars proclaims that Korean language cannot be represented in Chinese characters and that ‘Hangul’ will now take its place. Korean culture and values have been constructed around Korean speech and characters, and often I have found it almost impossible to translate linguistic expressions and values from ‘Hangul’ to other cultures. I have reproduced ‘세종어제훈민정음’ in cellophane panels. By scratching around this text, I hope to explore the disconnect that occurs within translation, as well as the new possibilities that this uncertainty presents.

Through globalization and increased connectivity, we are exposed to other cultures. These alternative perspectives impact our own, scratching surface of our tinted lenses creating openings. Through these openings, we eventually unravel, blend and transform our own identities.

---------------

Between You and I (2018) was also shown in a group exhibition, ‘New Perspectives’, at Crowther Contemporary, Australia in April 2018:

'New Perpsectives' is the upcoming exhibition at Crowther Contemporary. It features six recent Melbourne art graduates whose work shows the diverse nature of contemporary art today. Showcasing work by Ryan Bannon, Mel Dixon, Panayiota Petrakis, Katie Ryan, Ellen YG Son and Bronte Webster the exhibition will be a dynamic exposé of the next generation of Melbourne creative talent.










1




2




3





ii

1   Between You and I. 2018. Scratched cellophane, aluminum strip, double sided tape, and fishing wire. Dimensions variable.
2   Through the lines, I see you; em ta evaw uoY dnA. 2018. Scratched cellophane, double sided tape and mounting tape on  Perspex frame. 35cm x 27cm x 5cm.
3   Empty lines. 2017. Scratched cellophane, double sided tape and mounting tape on Perspex frame. 35cm x 27cm x 5cm.
ii  Exhibition images of ‘New Perspectives’ at Crowther Contemporary

Photo credit: Eric Jong & Recreate