Faith in God

Painter Chang draws inspiration from Bible for her art

Chang Woo-soon enjoys religious artwork and is full of 'faith' However, unlike our expectation that holy pictures are rigid and dignified, her holy pictures are as familiar as modern paintings as she recently began adding scriptural phrases into modern formative language. Indirect, expressions, not religious at all, she sublimates her absolute faith into art. She also allows us to see a story of heaven that is full of love and joy, which are her sincere wishes.
Only an open-minded man can look up the heaven, only man with wisdom can search the hidden secrets of the heaven. Therefore, God gave us wisdom and humans can reach heaven through wisdom. As this suggests, one can assume that painter Chang is talking about wisdom to see 'paradise'which she dreamt about one day through her art.
It seems her art involves 'religious'rhythms and multiple aspects of self-reflection' As suggested from her note,
she substitutes her work for images of heaven and love message of the absolute being that she cherished in her heart for a long time.
Her first solo exhibition started with holy picture motives. She transferred symbolic phases of the Bible to her canvas with oil paint, and composition of the work was non-figurative. The paintings were appealing because the colors were very soft like pastel work, and there was a sense of swimming-like rhythms which gave comfort to the viewers.
Therefore, even for those who first saw her art was enough to sympathize free from preconceived idea of 'holy pictures.'Her recent work has changed greatly. Most of all, background material changed whereas the main motive is the same. She uses Jangi (thick, durable Korean rice paper) that four layers of Korean papers are papered over. This might be why her work gives neutral impression in which Western and Eastern background materials are mixed. The same thing happens in her use of colors. She repeats a process where she pours or paints Bunchae (mixed glace) in the background, esquisses desired images, puts Bansu (glue and alum mixture in water), and drips colors as she wishes. In the last step of the process when canvas is dry, images are cut or tear-off to emboss subject, then the work is complete. The images come from scriptural phases, of course, and a paragraph "Rend your heart, not your garments"takes a central role.
Chang held four solo exhibitions including one at Art Seoul at Seoul Arts Center this year and Insa Gallery in Seoul in 2003. Her artwork were displayed in over 30 group exhibitions both at home and abroad including the Korea-Germany Art Exchange Exhibition at Frankfurt Gallery in Frankfurt, Germany, the Korean Art Exhibition at Sejong Performing Art Center in Seoul, and the Invitation Art Exhibition at Lotte Gallery in Seoul. She is a graduate of Baeksok Arts College in 1983 and studied design at Hongik University in 1985. nw

Painter Chang Woo-soon

The Lord's Supper; 162.7 x 130.2 cm;Korean paper and dye powder; 2006

Throw fishing net where water is deep; 72.8 x 61.2 cm;Dye powder on Korean paper; 2006.