In contemporary art's ongoing dialogue with memory and time, Jungwoo Hong's practice stands out for its unique synthesis of spontaneous expression and structured narrative. His work engages with what French philosopher Paul Ricoeur termed "narrative identity" - the way we construct ourselves through the stories we tell about our experiences. Hong's approach to this construction is distinctly layered, combining the immediacy of automatic drawing with the contemplative depth of accumulated memory.
The artist's use of doodling recalls the Art Brut movement, but with a crucial difference: where Dubuffet sought to escape cultural conditioning, Hong deliberately employs this primal form of expression to bridge different temporal states of consciousness. His work might be better understood through Georges Didi-Huberman's concept of the "anachronistic image" - artwork that exists simultaneously in multiple temporal frameworks, speaking to both past and future.
Hong's artistic philosophy, at some point influenced by Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful, operates through what can be termed "positive noesis" - an intentional intellectual embracing of life's beauty that transforms how past experiences are perceived and understood. This concept, drawing from Husserlian phenomenology where noesis refers to the act of consciousness that gives meaning to experience, takes on special significance in Hong's work. His approach represents not just a passive recollection but an active reframing of memory through an optimistic consciousness. This positive noesis functions as both a philosophical stance and an artistic methodology, allowing Hong to transform what might be remembered as hardship into opportunities for finding beauty and meaning. The approach resonates with Victor Frankl's concept of tragic optimism while maintaining its own distinct artistic character through its emphasis on visual transformation and temporal layering.
The multi-layered nature of Hong's work, particularly evident in his Moo-a-ji-kyung series, creates what art historian Mieke Bal might call a "preposterous history" - where chronological time gives way to a more complex temporal interweaving. His technique of layering colors, forms, and text creates palimpsests that recall Cy Twombly's scriptorial abstractions while maintaining a distinctly East Asian sensibility toward time and presence.
Critical to understanding Hong's practice is his exploration of what philosopher Henri Bergson called "duration" - the subjective experience of time as opposed to its mechanical measurement. Through series like Daily Drawing, Hong creates visual metaphors for this subjective temporality, where past, present, and future coexist in dynamic tension. The resulting works function as what Aby Warburg might have termed "pathos formulas" - recurring visual motifs that carry emotional and cultural memory across time.
Adopting an in-depth gaze on Hong’s doodling, we could say that it operates on multiple psychological levels, creating what Jung might call an "active imagination" between adult consciousness and childhood spontaneity. While the technique recalls Jean Dubuffet's Art Brut movement, Hong's approach is more psychologically nuanced - he inhabits simultaneously the positions of both adult creator and child explorer. This duality echoes D.W. Winnicott's concept of "transitional phenomena," where creative play serves as a bridge between internal and external realities. In Hong's case, the doodling becomes a transitional space between adult memory and childlike immediacy.
The psychological complexity of this approach is particularly evident in how Hong processes temporal experience. As an adult, he carries the weight of accumulated memory and responsibility, yet through doodling, he accesses what developmental psychologist Erik Erikson would call the "generative" aspect of adulthood - the desire to guide and nurture future generations while remaining connected to one's own childhood experiences. This dual positioning allows Hong to simultaneously inhabit the role of the guiding adult (like Guido in Life is Beautiful) and the receptive child, creating artwork that speaks to both perspectives simultaneously.
In contemporary art's ongoing dialogue with memory and time, Jungwoo Hong's practice stands out for its unique synthesis of spontaneous expression and structured narrative. His work engages with what French philosopher Paul Ricoeur termed "narrative identity" - the way we construct ourselves through the stories we tell about our experiences. Hong's approach to this construction is distinctly layered, combining the immediacy of automatic drawing with the contemplative depth of accumulated memory.
The artist's use of doodling recalls the Art Brut movement, but with a crucial difference: where Dubuffet sought to escape cultural conditioning, Hong deliberately employs this primal form of expression to bridge different temporal states of consciousness. His work might be better understood through Georges Didi-Huberman's concept of the "anachronistic image" - artwork that exists simultaneously in multiple temporal frameworks, speaking to both past and future.
Hong's artistic philosophy, at some point influenced by Roberto Benigni's Life is Beautiful, operates through what can be termed "positive noesis" - an intentional intellectual embracing of life's beauty that transforms how past experiences are perceived and understood. This concept, drawing from Husserlian phenomenology where noesis refers to the act of consciousness that gives meaning to experience, takes on special significance in Hong's work. His approach represents not just a passive recollection but an active reframing of memory through an optimistic consciousness. This positive noesis functions as both a philosophical stance and an artistic methodology, allowing Hong to transform what might be remembered as hardship into opportunities for finding beauty and meaning. The approach resonates with Victor Frankl's concept of tragic optimism while maintaining its own distinct artistic character through its emphasis on visual transformation and temporal layering.
The multi-layered nature of Hong's work, particularly evident in his Moo-a-ji-kyung series, creates what art historian Mieke Bal might call a "preposterous history" - where chronological time gives way to a more complex temporal interweaving. His technique of layering colors, forms, and text creates palimpsests that recall Cy Twombly's scriptorial abstractions while maintaining a distinctly East Asian sensibility toward time and presence.
Critical to understanding Hong's practice is his exploration of what philosopher Henri Bergson called "duration" - the subjective experience of time as opposed to its mechanical measurement. Through series like Daily Drawing, Hong creates visual metaphors for this subjective temporality, where past, present, and future coexist in dynamic tension. The resulting works function as what Aby Warburg might have termed "pathos formulas" - recurring visual motifs that carry emotional and cultural memory across time.
Adopting an in-depth gaze on Hong’s doodling, we could say that it operates on multiple psychological levels, creating what Jung might call an "active imagination" between adult consciousness and childhood spontaneity. While the technique recalls Jean Dubuffet's Art Brut movement, Hong's approach is more psychologically nuanced - he inhabits simultaneously the positions of both adult creator and child explorer. This duality echoes D.W. Winnicott's concept of "transitional phenomena," where creative play serves as a bridge between internal and external realities. In Hong's case, the doodling becomes a transitional space between adult memory and childlike immediacy.
The psychological complexity of this approach is particularly evident in how Hong processes temporal experience. As an adult, he carries the weight of accumulated memory and responsibility, yet through doodling, he accesses what developmental psychologist Erik Erikson would call the "generative" aspect of adulthood - the desire to guide and nurture future generations while remaining connected to one's own childhood experiences. This dual positioning allows Hong to simultaneously inhabit the role of the guiding adult (like Guido in Life is Beautiful) and the receptive child, creating artwork that speaks to both perspectives simultaneously.
