Vestigia: 김영애

Vestigia; traces of time and effort

Through my work, I am exploring the materials and structures that make up the buildings that are base of our life. Beyond the simple superficial meaning of buildings, I explore the process by which various structures and materials transform into spaces where people work, rest, decorate their homes, and raise their children. My work is the result of reinterpreting and extracting the materials and structures of the walls, fences, and roofs of the world around me - present and past. In other words, It was deconstructed and reconfigured in the process of moving to New Zealand, a distant foreign country, and “trying to find space.” Of course, it refers to a physical, mental, rational and cultural space, and it was a necessary space for survival, finding identity, and ‘settlement.’

The early drawing work was a landscape painting focusing on buildings, but as print and drawing were repeated, the image was gradually simplified and eventually turned into a geometric abstract image. I was fascinated by the surface of paper imprinted with prints, and began creating reliefs by casting pulp through latex molds. From then on, I became even more interested in the surfaces of walls and floors of buildings and did a lot of research.

Since then, I have been seeking materials for my works at places called ‘Demolition yards’, which sell useful construction materials after demolishing buildings. The wood, tin tiles, slate, etc. purchased there have more beautiful surfaces, such as peeling paint and cracks due to exposure to wind and rain over a long period of time. They were once used in someone's house or room, or were once made into something by someone. It was even more meaningful that there was a history of losing.

Maybe that's why a critic wrote about my work, calling it 'archeology of experience'. By collecting the materials, determining the scale, combining the surface and depth, finding their original structure and history, and cutting them out on paper, they are recreated in a new form. In this process, I use various tools such as chainsaws, drills, and hammers to create shapes, and when I do that work, I feel like a house builder or carpenter. Afterwards, several layers of latex are applied to create a rubber mold that can replicate the shape and surface. Then, pulp dyed with pigments is put into the mold, dried, and cast. The pulp is made by cutting old pure cotton bed covers into stamp-sized pieces and grinding them in a machine called a Hollander Beater.

This kind of paper work is very difficult and time-consuming, and requires patience, but I have been working on it for over 5 years because of the unique texture and charm that only paper can have. So far, I have cut over 80kg of bed sheets the size of postage stamps with scissors. My hands are calloused and I always work like a laborer with rough work, but like all artists, I am rewarded with the joy I feel when each piece is turned into a work of art. In addition, it is difficult to transport or store the work because it is light and prone to breakage, but it looks hard and heavy like a rock or iron plate, and the fact that the original materials before being made of paper were hard and heavy, so they were used as walls and roofs to protect us. It has its own paradox, which gives it even more meaning.

This exhibition is titled Vestigia, which means trace in Italian, and presents works produced under the same theme as Domus (house in Latin), which was my first solo exhibition in Seoul two years ago, and my work to date. Slate, wood, tiles, and the newly introduced cast iron decoration were reproduced on paper as is, and efforts were made to create calm and meditative surfaces and forms through ‘replication’ and ‘repetition’. In particular, I think the cast iron decorations, bars, etc. and the colors used are influenced by the Moorish architecture and their colorful colors, which were impressive during a two-month trip to Spain and Morocco last year. The patterns of the iron doors in Barcelona and the patterns of the bars of the houses on the road to the Sahara and the colors they used were very impressive, and I think what I saw was reflected in the work. Also, as the subtitle ‘Trace of Time and Effort’ suggests, I wanted to include the traces of the people there building and maintaining houses and living there, as well as the traces of the time and journey of the building materials used. What I hope more is that many people will see and feel what I saw through the work, and that it will be an opportunity to reevaluate what we value and should exist.