Beomsik Won - Pictures, Art, Photography

Beomsik Won

Background Information about Beomsik Won

Introduction

Beomsik Won’s pieces are assembled from dozens of black & white photographs, broken apart and put back together again in a complex process of deconstruction and reconstruction. The results of this technique are fantastical structures that appear to defy the laws of statics. Despite that, or perhaps because of it, they appear truly monumental. Like sculptures, these Archisculptures claim the urban space for themselves, enthroned above the streets below as if they had been there forever. Won’s genre-defying style produces architectural utopias that not only question our understanding of contemporary digital photography, but also explore the limits of human perception.

To Beomsik Won, architecture is a language that can be expanded, reduced, and manipulated at will. The range of possibilities architecture offers as an artistic medium is the driving force behind Won's Archisculptures series. From architectural photographs and collages, he creates urban mirages, set in homogenous cultural landscapes just beyond the reality we know. The inspiration for these surreal works is the richness of London’s architecture, with its elegant buildings, baroque façades, giant shopping centres and famous theatres. Won digitally combines these elements to create a fascinating dialogue.

Although his work displays a broad range of artistic and philosophical influences, it is London’s architectural diversity that continues to inspire Beomsik Won. Having studied Photography and Metals & Jewellery Design in Seoul, Won moved to London and, in 2012, completed a degree in Fine Art Media at the Slade School of Fine Art. He is one of South Korea’s young, artistic expatriates, and his highly sought-after work has already been featured in numerous exhibitions, including in Paris, Hollywood, Seoul, and London.

Sarah Fassio

Bio

2014Doctoral Student, Department of Photography, HONGIK University, Seoul, Korea
2012Master of Fine Arts, Department of Fine Art Media, Slade School of Fine Art-UCL University, London, UK
2008Master of Fine Arts, Department of Photography, HONGIK University, Seoul, Korea
1998Bachelor of Fine Arts, Department of Metalwork and Jewelry, KOOKMIN UNIVERSITY, Seoul, Korea

Awards

2013Publication Prize, 5th Ilwoo Photo Awards, Ilwoo Foundation und Hatje Cantz, Republic of Korea and Germany
2013First Prize, American Aperture Awards AX3, USA
2012The Merit Prize, AOP Students Awards, UK

Exhibitions

2015Archisculpture, Ilwoo Space, Seoul, Korea
2014WONBEOMSIK ART EXHIBITION, Cheongju Art Studio Gallery, Cheongju, Korea
2014Archisculpture Collage, Soohoh Gallery, Bundang, Korea
2014Archisculpture Antigravity, Gallery NUDA, Daejeon, Korea
2013Archisculpture, Toyota Photo Space, Busan, Korea
2013Archisculpture, Gallery Lux, Seoul, Korea
2008Dimension Finder, Gallery Lux, Seoul, Korea
2006On a Journey, Gallery Gainro, Seoul, Korea
2015Art Exhibition for Children, Jeonbuk Museum of Art, Wanju, Korea
2015Art Space J Show, Art Space J, Bundang, Korea
2015Open Studio Group Show, Cheongju Art Studio, Cheongju, Korea
2015Out There, Miboo Art Centre, Busan, Korea
2014The 8th Sharing Love Exhibition by Soohoh Gallery, Sungnam Art Centre, Sungnam, Korea
2014Lead_ at this moment, Grimson gallery, Seoul, Korea
2014Ghost Memories Exhibition by Jean-Louis POITEVIN, Cheongju Art Studio, Cheongju, Korea
2014The 8th New Artist Exhibition, Cheongju Art Studio, Cheongju, Korea
2014The 5th Soohoh New Artists Exhibition, Soohoh Gallery, Bundang, Korea
2013DESIRES, Art Space J, Bundang, Korea
2013Dark to Light by Karen Marr and Laurence Dreyfus, H.M. Tower of London, London, UK
2013The Secret Garden-CHOI&LAGER Project, LE FUR CHOI, Paris, France
2013Other Spaces: Re-imagining Architecture, Bosse and Baum Art, London, UK
2013Candid Arts Exhibition-February Show, Candid Arts Trust, London, UK
2012Now X Here-The 5th UK Korean Artists Exhibition, Korean Cultural Centre, London, UK
2012The Recent Graduates’ Exhibition by Jessica Hall, Battersea Evolution, London, UK
2012The Salon Art Prize 2012, Matt Roberts Arts Gallery, London, UK
201253 Degrees North Exhibition, The New School House Gallery, York, UK
2012The AOP Students Awards 2012 Exhibition, Hoxton Gallery, London, UK
2012Place Not Found, Forman's Smokehouse Gallery, London, UK