Jeong-gi Baek is a competent artist with impressive career in arts including exhibition at the dream gallery *Loop Alternative Space, award in the 'SongEun ArtSpace' that is one of the most recognizable awards in the Korean art circle, and exhibition at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art that is held every two years only for selected artists through ‘the Young Artist Seeking Exhibition.’ His career must be the dream of any art student. Regardless of challenging situation, he fiercely thinks of his artworks and passionately strives toward his goals. Alongside his career as an artist, he is teaching in Kookmin University and Sungkyunkwan University. In the art studio where coldness still stays, we meet the artist Baek who is emitting passionate zeal.

＊ Loop Alternative Space – It is a non-profit exhibition space designed for artists and was established to deviate from the authority and commercialism of art galleries in the 1990s. As its position got larger today, the Loop Alternative Space has become the main figure of a new alternative space.

Q. Hello. I am Ontong, a web reporter of PR Team. I am interested in your artworks and I think you are one of the promising young artists in the art circle today. I wonder about your campus life while attending Kookmin University. What kind of student were you?
You may not imagine but I was a student who spoke less and liked to create things. I loved working alone in the studio. I stayed all night for an artwork. I loved making things. If I am into something, I am preoccupied only to that thing so my major in dimensional arts was perfect for me. I really liked the major-related courses so I tried hard enough for my friends and professors to recognize me. I was a student who made others felt, ‘He really likes making things.’ Even now, I am preoccupied to something if I really like it.

From then on, I became a person who has a clear distinction about things that I like and dislike. I always had A or A+ for my major courses but got an F for elective no matter how hard I tried. (laugh) So I think I became more interested into the one thing I liked and was able to do well.
 

Q. What kind of person were you to your friends? Were you popular?
Well. (laugh) I am from the early stage of Kookmin University, the class of 2000. At that time, there were not many male students who majored in dimensional arts in the School of Fine Arts. But most male students in the major were older than me. When they went to the military, most male seniors applied for a leave of absence so there were times when I was the only man in my major. Due to the nature of ‘the dimensional art,’ we often had to move big trees or heavy rocks and at that time, I was the one who moved such things. It was difficult for female students to move those heavy things. I think I was a helpful student due to such reason (laugh). 

Q. I can imagine your school years. Then, let’s talk about your artwork. You are famous for using various materials not being limited to a certain type of material. Please tell us about the artworks you have worked on.
The first work was with Vaseline. It was about a wound and related to my childhood memories. This artwork began from my memory as I always plastered Vaseline. Then, I got interested in the message possessed in water like fluidity of water and it being the source of life. I think that water is a very sentimental substance. Something with moisture reflects characteristics of life while dry things show features of death. So when I became interested in water, I also developed interest in Shamanism. Regardless of nations, water is an essential requirement. In countries with water shortage, water is indispensable requisite as well as a thing that decides people’s lives. There is a term’ a welcome rain’ that falls after a drought. Such linguistic playfulness was revealed in the artwork and I attempted various ways including having a rain-calling ceremony along in desert. After that work, I started thinking a lot. I thought about myself as a sculpture and asked about having a rain-calling ceremony. During such time of contemplation, I worked on the ideology of our ordinary lives, which was like a pond. Then, I worked on photograph that extracted colors by using real materials. Having that as the foundation, I expressed Han River on a painting by soaking litmus paper into the water of the Han River. My most recent work implemented an antenna using a statue.

Q. You talked about the wound during your childhood when talking about the Vaseline work. Can you tell me more about it?
I suffered burns as my house was on fire when I was young. Vaseline prevents evaporation of moisture from the wound. So since I was young, I always plastered Vaseline on my body. Now I am using a different form of medicine but Vaseline is an object that shares my experience during childhood. Burns have made my present and with these, I have developed and grown. Nevertheless, I hate to emphasize my wounds more than my artworks. That’s why I talk less about my wound-related experiences when having an interview.

The artworks that I am promoting are not for the convergence of science and arts; rather, it is to materialize what I intend to express. I think that the use of a scientific process will broaden the frame of my artworks. Since I first have to understand machines or chemistry before creating artworks, it is more difficult than working with materials commonly used in arts. I hope that my artworks will reflect practical and logical properties that are possessed in science, veering away from those that merely stir the emotional aspect. Such view can be seen as scientific, but I only adopt such element for my artworks. This cannot be the center of my artwork.

Q. Many of your works focus on concepts. I wonder from where you draw inspiration when conceptualizing your artworks. Also, is there a special way or space for you to focus on your work?
I always have indirect experience through books (actually, he always has a science magazine called NEWTON in his bag). I often go to the National Library of Korea and there, I indirectly experience the lives of others through books. I meet many people and listen to their stories. I think that I synthesize my ideas by carefully listening to the stories of others. With that being said, there is no special space for me. The art studio is for my artwork and I mainly conceptualize a lot outside.

Q. Is there any artist or artwork that you admire or like?
Well. It is hard to tell exactly. I decided to study abroad because of an English artist Anish Kapoor. I feel admiration when seeing his artworks. It feels really good to stand in front of his works. Other artworks that I like are those of an English artist Simon Starling. I love the conceptual side of the artist. I think that his interesting way of thinking was revealed well in the *cactus project.
* It is a project started from a question, 'How does the cactus in a desert withstand the severe cold in Berlin?’ The temperature of the exhibition hall was set for the cactus and water pipes were installed. His works are related to nature, history, and ecosystem.

Q. Many art students dream of continuing their art career. However, many of them gave it up in front of the wall of reality. I wonder how you decided to keep your career as an artist after your graduation.
After graduating in 2004, I worked in the studio of Professor Byeong-seop Jo for 2 years. While helping him, I prepared my individual exhibition so I had an exhibition in 2006. Many young artists gave up their career in art after having the first exhibition because not many people come and see their work as much as they expected. It is the venue to show off their works to the public but their visitors turned out to be their family, friends, and people surrounding them. So they feel a lot of disappointment and there were times when I myself was very disappointed. Being an artist, I exerted efforts on modern arts and yet there was not much response. I felt dejected. I had some time to introspect whether ‘it was really meaningful.’ I think such frustration is a step to be taken among artists who had their first exhibition.

After the first exhibition, I decided to learn more. I was so certain that I wanted to change. If you are not prepared enough, going to the graduate school is not a good idea. Going to the graduate school right after the undergraduate course without readiness of mind is like attending the 5th year of undergraduate school. If you really want to learn, then go for the advanced study. Due to the emotions I felt while having the individual exhibition, I realized the desperate need of studying in the graduate course and so I started over. Of course, it was not an easy decision considering the various circumstances. My decision to go to the graduate school was like a decision to keep my career as a professional artist.

Q. I heard that there were many difficulties in your career in arts. I wonder how you were able to overcome and solve those problems.
After a certain failure, I tried hard to overcome such failure. I kept on challenging and even if I failed despite my efforts, I learned lessons from each failure. Repetition of these trials and error filled my 20s. Working is always hard. Having an exhibition can be compared to ordinary people trying to conquer the hill of life. There were times when I receive negative response no matter how hard I tried for an exhibition. Sometimes, I stopped working due to financial difficulty. There are many young artists without a studio. I was fortunate to have a studio but most young artists face a challenging environment as they try to continue their career. So if I didn’t really love it, I wouldn’t be able to work nor have an exhibition. A man grows through trials and errors. We make progress as we struggle to overcome something. So I think the way to triumph over difficulties is not to settle for the present. Though I said it myself, I have never settled for the way things are. (laugh) I am more honest to myself than to others so I kept pushing the things that I have to do.

When it comes to work, there is limitation that I can manage. I think I widened such limitation little by little. When I throw away my greed and stay within my limitation, it is comfortable. Doing what I can do and what I can enjoy is really comfortable. However, I like to break my own limitation so I try to make the next exhibition harder. Harder in the next exhibition, and so on. If there is a string of oneself, I don’t pull it to keep tension; rather, I gradually pull the string to extend it. I consistently exert efforts to continue my growth. So now, I am afraid of the work scale that I am intending to do. If I did only what I could do, I would not be where I am right now.

Q. Do you have any memorable experience or happy moment?
I came back to Korea from China and worked of ‘Danbi’ in Korea. While working on it, I fainted. (laugh) I was preparing saccharin for Danbi in my studio and all of a sudden, I felt dizzy and then panted. I had a mild panic disorder. The moment I opened the studio door in Korea after leaving China, I suddenly experienced panic. As I was out of breath, I had to say something so I went to the next room. Fortunately, there was a close artist next to the studio. As soon as I saw him, I said, “Call 119… 119.” I heard him calling me and I was brought to the hospital. Thankfully, I turned out okay. Since I never had such big panic before, I was very surprised. But my friend often talks about that incident. “If something happened to you at that time, your artworks would become limited edition!” (laugh) We make a joke out of that experience.

Q. You talked about your work. Then as an artist, what is your value and philosophy in life?
It is not a value, but rather, there is the attitude that I cherish as an artist. I don’t want to talk something fancy. To an artist, sincerity is the basic. It is hard to survive as an artist so I hope that other artists will cherish each moment. There co-exists joy and sadness in the world of art. Maybe doing art is a good excuse to me. It is to express what I think and do. That being said, there is also a responsibility. It is very important to withstand. Many people say endure and overcome. But this is the attitude that an artist must have.

Q. Is there any exhibition or art-related book that you want to recommend to the students in Kookmin University?
I recommend ‘Zeitgeist Korea’ held in the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. It will help you in many ways. Whether you study the arts or not, it is good to experience this exhibition. I want you to seriously think of the artists selected and exhibited by the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Q. Tell us your future plan, goal, and current artwork.
Recently, I am interested in traditional materials, like earth. So I am conceptualizing based on the use of such material. I am currently having an exhibition in the Daegu Art Museum in relation with Daegu subway fire accident. Also, I am preparing my collaboration with a bag brand in Sinsa-dong and it will be for April, besides an exhibition at early June and August. The work for early August will be an extension of my previous photo work. Apart from those, I always prepare for individual exhibitions.

Q. What is art work to you?
It is the prime motor that makes me move. When I think about my working hours… Um… I sometimes don’t want to sleep as what I am making is too interesting. To describe such feeling, I think it is like wishing that the morning would come earlier. I become very happy when working. While working, I feel this is the path for me and even now, I try to maintain such feeling. It needs efforts to maintain this sense of happiness. Since such happy feeling possesses much energy, I can jump 3~4 times higher than I thought I could whenever I do something really fun. It is really explosive energy so the worries that I have while working feel no longer existent. It is the expectation with heart-beating that goes with my artwork. This is what art work is to me.
I want you to do what you like, despite having majored in something different. I want you to be very honest to your ambition. Do not calculate but listen to what your heart desires. Although you start with joy, there will be the time when your joy is no longer for you alone. At such time, you can share the happy energy with someone who experiences happiness through your work. But first, you have to move. An act needs courage. I expect you to do what you like although it seems like a gamble that requires decisiveness.

Q. Thank you very much for taking the time to accept this interview, even though it is a bit long. I will think of your words whenever I look at your artworks.
I really had a great time. After having an interview, I always think, ‘Why did I say that?’ I spoke as I wish at that time but when I look back, there are many things that I felt ashamed of. I realize that I thought that way at such instance. Anyway, I hope this interview will help many artists who intend to pursue their career in the arts.

The work on a wound that was experienced by the artist when he was young. He often had to plaster Vaseline due to the burns in his childhood. His parents also plastered Vaseline on his wounds after scolding him. Vaseline keeps moisture on a wound for it to heal. That’s why the artist thinks that Vaseline heals conflicts. Vaseline is something that protects him from wounds so his artwork like plastering Vaseline on the holes on a wall reflects the wounds and burns that he had during his childhood.

In the exhibition at Ganainsa Art Center, he made rain sweet using saccharin. It is an artwork that expressed ‘Danbi – Welcome rain’ in use of linguistic playfulness. The visitors can actually taste the rain.

The artist who loves traveling takes photos a lot. After coming back and seeing the photos taken in the travel, he felt a lack of something. The objects he experienced in various places stay where they are and the photos he sees are empty reproductions. From the moment of taking a photo, the world in the photo becomes independent from time and space. Space changes whereas images don’t. So he wanted to connect those. He represented the colors of images using real leaves in the photos. Since a part of reality is in the photo, it is no longer in his memory as it already turned into reality. Thus, he doesn’t have to miss such space.

Starting from color extraction at the beginning, he expresses reality by soaking litmus paper into the water of the Han River. It took 2 years just to make the color extracting machine. He started this work as the symbolic statues in the world are illusions made by bronze or iron. The artwork placed on the support is a mass of iron yet we see it with certain significance. We live in the fascism of vision while forgetting about the essence. All dimensional artworks with symbolic representation reflect a sense of violence that demands respect. His work refuses any authoritative violence. Such violence is deteriorated with the iron mass used for antenna.