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Kang Car
Artist MINSEOK KANG
Born in South Korea in 1980, I have been passionate about expressing myself through car paintings since childhood. I viewed racing cars as the greatest human artwork, and pursued fine arts at Dong-A University, earning a Bachelor's degree in 2007 and a Master's degree in 2010. Over time, my artwork shifted from emphasizing external car beauty to portraying my unique style, incorporating elements of time, space, relationships, and culture.
Currently, I depict distorted car shapes symbolizing the modern generation's pursuit of happiness and self-made paths amid fierce competition. Using acrylics, I employ a technique of scraping paint with a squeegee, and incorporate embroidery for artificial straight lines, speed, and temporal shapes.
Since 2023, I have delved into media art and 3D works via NFT art. In the 'Shape of Sweet Memories' project, I collect leftover paint fragments to create ice cream filmed in a video, then produce it as NFT art. Additionally, I engage in sculpture work.
Art Work Portfolio
The Big Bang: identity
The source of my power is a “point of infinity” - this is where everything started. Deep inside me exists a power of a dark-hearted beast, seething with rage. This collision of this power leads to the Big Bang of time and space by a physical speed. Due to this Big Bang, the sounds of my pounding heartbeat and racing breath are masked with white noise. At near-light speed, the existence of confusion and fear emerges as a distorted figure of the inside, reflected in a mirror. The Big Bang dissolves everything - even sharp light and endless power. Uncontrollably intense power and a burning desire are all scattered as pieces of fragments. The only thing left is the vestige of this very moment. Now numb to wrath and temporal pain, this beast is my fear. It is dashing in a parallel motion with me between the beginning and end.
I express an intense power, unresolved in inner conflicts and worries over the future. When doing this, I use paint with various techniques over the subject of a speeding motorcar. This motorcar embodies time, speed, and dream in a self-inflicted competition. The form of the motorcar adopted in this work is distorted by an intense speed. This manifests my identity and shadow - the latter represented as a beast full of inner desires and anger. In my new works, figures of both sides resemble each other as in a “decalcomania”. But these aren't a space of time loop. They tell a butterfly-effect story that reflects an afterimage of the distant future or a picture of the bygone days in the mirror.
The story of the time leap is somewhat similar to a future challenge. A motorcar racing at near-light speed manifests my longing to take my hope into the near future. A three-dimensional presentation with primary colors and embroidery thread is the signature of this work.
Even at this moment, I am going through changes. That is what my work displays and I wish to resemble my art. My rival is no one else but myself. I evolve by absorbing much from external changes and challenges. I am stuck in interminable time and space. The Big Bang scatters all the anxiety and conflicts, and in the space of this very moment, I unfold the story with the existence of the beast hidden inside me.
I express an intense power, unresolved in inner conflicts and worries over the future. When doing this, I use paint with various techniques over the subject of a speeding motorcar. This motorcar embodies time, speed, and dream in a self-inflicted competition. The form of the motorcar adopted in this work is distorted by an intense speed. This manifests my identity and shadow - the latter represented as a beast full of inner desires and anger. In my new works, figures of both sides resemble each other as in a “decalcomania”. But these aren't a space of time loop. They tell a butterfly-effect story that reflects an afterimage of the distant future or a picture of the bygone days in the mirror.
The story of the time leap is somewhat similar to a future challenge. A motorcar racing at near-light speed manifests my longing to take my hope into the near future. A three-dimensional presentation with primary colors and embroidery thread is the signature of this work.
Even at this moment, I am going through changes. That is what my work displays and I wish to resemble my art. My rival is no one else but myself. I evolve by absorbing much from external changes and challenges. I am stuck in interminable time and space. The Big Bang scatters all the anxiety and conflicts, and in the space of this very moment, I unfold the story with the existence of the beast hidden inside me.
Endless force
Suppressed heart, dulling breath, and sharp, cold air weigh a beast down. Frozen time fades the invisible force, and the beast in the tranquil and cold air inhales heavily. The shadow of the beast is tangled by confusion and unstable power, and hidden behind that is him. Inside the absorptive and dark space-time, on a deep breath with him, I slowly step on the clutch pedal of the car. The heart, which has been dull for a long time, starts to boil again with fervent blood. The beast is awakened from the suppression of power, the air is heated up, and my initiation allows everything to scatter freely as paint.
Wind dismantles the space with threads and straight lines, and sharp light brushes past to leave the trace of time. Numerous energies lose their direction, and through the gap squashed by the invisible force, the beast breaks through the fear. The turbulent heart of the beast struggles with reality, and the instinct for speed is reawakened. Widely spread wings of a butterfly flutter to untie the rein of the tangled chain, and the invisible force explodes again.
Wind dismantles the space with threads and straight lines, and sharp light brushes past to leave the trace of time. Numerous energies lose their direction, and through the gap squashed by the invisible force, the beast breaks through the fear. The turbulent heart of the beast struggles with reality, and the instinct for speed is reawakened. Widely spread wings of a butterfly flutter to untie the rein of the tangled chain, and the invisible force explodes again.
Invisible Force
I felt the powerful strength of a fierce beast surging in a deep and dark heart. As darkness and light collided, shapes disintegrated, and the beast's strength exploded into various energies. I focused on an invisible sonic force. In the absence of competition, my breath and spirit blended with the unseen force. The condensed color and sound manifested as the force of free gravity.
The beast's strength was harnessed as the continually pulsating heartbeat sound and unstable energy intertwined, taming the beast through numerous concentrated lines. At the moment when the strength-sprinkled paint erupted on the canvas, my short breath resonated from my fingertips. My racing heart exploded on the canvas, and a beast awakened from the instinct of speed.
The beast's strength was harnessed as the continually pulsating heartbeat sound and unstable energy intertwined, taming the beast through numerous concentrated lines. At the moment when the strength-sprinkled paint erupted on the canvas, my short breath resonated from my fingertips. My racing heart exploded on the canvas, and a beast awakened from the instinct of speed.
NFTART
Ice cream in a non-existent virtual space is formed from scattered images of ice cream that have been in my memory for a long time. The pieces of paint are collected to recreate the shape of ice cream and the taste can be heard auditorily. They say that my ice cream is a fantasy in virtual space. The neutral space of reality and virtuality is expressed in the form of ice cream by grafting sculptures, NFT, and AR.
Sway in the wind
A racer is driving in a long forest. Gentle wind noise in the forest and the woodsy scent become my shelter. But soon, in a deep forest with the sound of strong wind, the forest darkens quickly. The confused racer searches for the exit from the forest, which is tangled like a maze. Leaves shake in the sharp wind, and the moment fear mingles with hope, the racer catches his breath for a while in the middle of the forest.
Invisible Force
Darkness is broken through with an explosion roar clashing over with mortal power, buzzing into a bursting heart. Arrays of brilliant light along with resonance dash over as if traversing through reality, and hence darkness is soon filled with both light and sound, conveying a single force. An assembly of a host of force is drawn into the heart, and soon a frictional noise uprising from the breeze focused upon the energy driven from intense force. This energy, orchestrated with the pounding heart and with commotive breathing, mingle into a congestion of powerful energy, and a dispersed identity into an infinite number of energies constitute into a whole, formulating a wild, invisible force. By controlling such wild, intense force, and for consummating my own identity into one, I’m conveying the invisible, while labile, force and its energy on the canvas. Intertwined within surrealism, I feel the invisible force, and am thus directed to another adventure, with the power of wild and the cutthroat competition within it.
Long journey
I arrived in an interesting place after being drawn by a strong power. Buildings tell me coldness and cool-headedness as if the time stops, I travel to find myself after being confined in a world I made. Lights are hidden in a darkness due to a splendid temptation of large cities and I run toward an unknown future space filled by lights. Although I can't know a result of certain future and the future long journey, I have to run toward there. Although I arrived due to the urban power, I have to pass here by myself in order to find a new way escaping from a number of cars and intense competition. Complex fear and strange adventure strengthen me further and a lighthouse indicating my future gives a hope to this journey, and an owl says a start as if unfolding her wings in a darkness. My long journey as begun.
Stray racer
A stray racer lost his way in a dream of maze while running with a splendid hope. But I am already a proficient driver racer in the dream. Repeated fear and hope intersect and I am racing lonely in a maze-like dream. I am running to find a new way which will appear someday passing through woods and cactuses. The racer heading for a new way doesn't stop to find a passage point of the turning maze. I enjoy my splendid hope and the fear and adventure continue. Unless they stop, the dream will continue. So the racer bearing a hope not losing the way is looking for an answer.
Running for the dream. Within a labyrinthine forest sacred columns could be seen and such divine structures seemed as if deities were protecting their trees. However, as the sky was stained in green the ends of the forest could not be seen. An unawakened dream had no stoplights, and so the racer aptly races along the trail, holding out the hope for a new pathway.
Running for the dream. Within a labyrinthine forest sacred columns could be seen and such divine structures seemed as if deities were protecting their trees. However, as the sky was stained in green the ends of the forest could not be seen. An unawakened dream had no stoplights, and so the racer aptly races along the trail, holding out the hope for a new pathway.
A source of strength
I am making an uncertain trip in a picture being attracted by invisible certain strong power. I become delirious due to dazzling lights around me and run somewhere being attracted by unknown power. The strong energy was a strong desire my uncontrollable desire and passion came together and erupts with a blast. Wreckages of explosion were blown by wind and quickly have the firm identity to proceed forward crossing the reality with the vital force. They fight lonely suppressing the tension having no foresight in as a long track as not knowing when to end. In a running instinct to go forward and the pressure of gravity pulling me down, the fear doubles. The process of beating it is expressed on the drawing paper as a fight with the reality as if resolving a complex mission. In spite of the fierce fight, I who proceed with the passion toward the dream rather enjoy the gorgeously brilliant moment. We are having an intense long race toward the dream. The dream is the source of power to me.
The direction of the wind
My blunt sense impairs the self respect in the infinite competition and loses the meaning and object of competition. This environment makes me lethargic. But the car tries to get stronger in the intense competition and looks for a direction of goal to find the ego. Repetitive new challenge arouses my running instinct and the competition regarding death and survival leads me to a new place.
But a path somebody has passed is a meaningless repeated challenge. Insensible goal makes me lose the object of competition and groundless competition makes me lose the future destination and wander. I arouse myself to find the direction for destination. Although the direction indicates the lonely fight with myself, I choose the lonely navigation looking for a new direction. I navigate to 7 unknown worlds which may exist somewhere without compass. I make challenge toward my own destination looking for the direction by my own sense. The effort of constant ego-finding changes my environment and develops me. That change excites me and makes me an enterprising traveler exploring the unknown world.
But a path somebody has passed is a meaningless repeated challenge. Insensible goal makes me lose the object of competition and groundless competition makes me lose the future destination and wander. I arouse myself to find the direction for destination. Although the direction indicates the lonely fight with myself, I choose the lonely navigation looking for a new direction. I navigate to 7 unknown worlds which may exist somewhere without compass. I make challenge toward my own destination looking for the direction by my own sense. The effort of constant ego-finding changes my environment and develops me. That change excites me and makes me an enterprising traveler exploring the unknown world.
It is time to begin
Various techniques are used. He is transferring to pictorial plane work based on the image appearing on computer and directly shoots all objects and images and uses digital and modern color to express the painting. The work started from silk screen and collage as an urban image and watching the city is watching the society and is based on a thought ‘my dream will be there’.
The dream was different from reality and there was a target consciousness toward each dream and intense competition.Our figure changing at a fast speed in the urban society was expressed by the change and various techniques in the challenge toward future looking for the reality and dream he was experiencing by use of urban images.
The dream was different from reality and there was a target consciousness toward each dream and intense competition.Our figure changing at a fast speed in the urban society was expressed by the change and various techniques in the challenge toward future looking for the reality and dream he was experiencing by use of urban images.
ART Poject 5
Content: Changwon MINI exhibition hall OOH artist KangCar collaboration work
Working period: 9 weeks
Working area : H 40208 x W 7705 + W 7166
Flat room work: 355 x 125 cm
Material: acrylic on canvas
This project was completed over about 3 months with the realization of creating opportunities for cultural experience for the public.
With this project, the Changwon Parking Tower was reborn as a landmark of Changwon, not an ordinary one.
Working period: 9 weeks
Working area : H 40208 x W 7705 + W 7166
Flat room work: 355 x 125 cm
Material: acrylic on canvas
This project was completed over about 3 months with the realization of creating opportunities for cultural experience for the public.
With this project, the Changwon Parking Tower was reborn as a landmark of Changwon, not an ordinary one.
Watercolor Painting
This project is a depiction of dynamic automobiles using watercolor techniques. On paper, beautifully rendered classic and vintage cars from various brands are showcased. Currently, this artwork is being exported worldwide as art posters.
ART Poject 6
The project expresses a push-and-pull relationship between man and objects, and objects and space through the shape of cars competing. I wanted to demonstrate this space as a space full of countless energy. I filled the virtual space with sounds of all kinds of noise in the city, the loud roaring of car engines, and people's breath as they run. I brought to reality the distance between reality and virtual space portrayed in the form of VR. In a vague relationship that isn't either real or virtual, virtual space in VR explores numerous different pieces. It manifests its nature where you can hear the different sounds of individual energy. AR is like a mirror in which you can see through virtual space, and I displayed speed through repetitive pieces randomly traversing and erasing that form.
Collaboration
KT&G Bohem cigarette cover work
MOTOR MAGAZINE
Motor magazine cover collaboration
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