Ji Su Kwak

Open Casket, 2024

Open Casket

A miniature reconstruction of a building destroyed
in the bombing of Gaza, made from paper, thread, quince,
fabric, sponge, leather, fruit seeds, beads, chestnut shell,
wire, sticker, paper clay, plastic food picks, lighting,
sunglasses, and other found materials
Dimensions variable
2024

A miniature reconstruction of a building destroyed in the bombing of Gaza, made from paper and various found materials. This piece shares materials with other works in the series and the exhibition, creating subtle connections between individually displayed sculptures. A piece of leather originally used in In Defeat, a work made from a cut and collapsed leather bag, is incorporated here, suggesting that the earlier form has been carried into a new setting. The arrangement evokes a funeral, as if the previous work were being laid to rest.

〈Open Casket(열린 문)〉은 가자지구 폭격으로 파괴된 건물을 종이와 일상적인 재료로 재현한 종이집 시리즈의 일부로, 해당 시리즈와 전시에 포함된 다른 작업들과 재료를 공유한다. 가죽 가방을 잘라 지푸라기를 채운 〈In Defeat〉에 사용된 가죽 조각이 이 작업에 다시 등장하며, 여기서는 장례를 치르는 주체로 기능한다. 〈In Defeat〉의 서사는 이 작업 안에서 또 하나의 장면으로 이어진다.

Exhibition view of LAST STRONGHOLDS at Woosuk Gallery, Seoul National University, Korea