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

가자지구 폭격으로 파괴된 건물을 축소 재현한 모형, 종이, 실, 모과,
천, 스펀지, 가죽, 과일 씨앗, 비즈, 밤껍질, 철사, 스티커, 종이 점토,
이쑤시개, 조명, 선글라스 및 기타 수집한 재료
가변 크기
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

SELECTED WORKS

Descending Figure, 2026
Peeing Dog, 2026
Oedipus and Antigone, 2026
Skin Squad, Dance Together!, 2026
Mara with One Eye, 2026
Lucia, 2026
Open Chest Sara, 2026
Dolores, 2026
Pokerface Rita, 2026
Praying Woman, 2025
Snatch! Between Pain and Glory, 2025
Girls (series), 2025
Venus (Bedroom Goddess), 2025
Travelling Hands, 2025
Hands (They Want In), 2025
Skin Squad, Break the Encirclement, 2024
Villains (series), 2024
Post-fire Autopsy, 2024
Angels’ Plan, 2024
In Defeat, 2024
Open Casket, 2024
Flee with Your People, Flee with Dignity!, 2024
Sorry, Sorry, 2013-2023
Sorry (I Love You), 2023
Seeds As They Are (series), 2021
Balanced Talk, 2019
15 Ways to Say “Hello”, 2018
I’ve Been Around For a While, 2018
Safety First, 2017
In Abeyance, South Korean Flag, 2017
Praying Bench, 2017
I Love You, 2015
Sorry, 2013
Customized Fish Tank, 2011
Customized Spider Web, 2011