Opening Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 10am — 6pm

DOOSAN Gallery New York: 533 W 25th Street, New York, NY 10001

Free Admission / Tel: +1-212-242-6343(6484)

DOOSAN Gallery New York is pleased to present Jong Oh’s solo exhibition, Wind Rose, from March 4 to April 3, 2021. Oh was selected to be part of the DOOSAN Residency New York program through an open call in 2020 and will present new works created during his current residency. He has been actively working based in New York and Seoul and this is his sixth solo exhibition in New York. The title of the show, Wind Rose, represents a round-shaped graphic tool showing the wind direction and speed, which was inspired by the cylindrical columns at the gallery space and the strong wind by the Hudson River near the gallery.

Jong Oh's works use humble materials such as string, metal rods, chains, fishing wire, pencil lines, and Plexiglas to draw attention to the subtle features of the spaces they occupy. Focusing on specific and often overlooked features of given sites, such as minute cracks on the wall, nail holes, corners, doors, light, and shadow, he constructs architectural works intuitively. They both merge with their surroundings while calling out unappreciated beauty. He searches for perfectly balanced spots of gravity and then centers his materials there. Tension and balance formed by the mathematical conversations in his mind become records of Oh’s time spent analyzing the spaces. His simple lifestyle mirrors his artworks: migrating from city to city following his exhibition schedule carrying only a backpack and small suitcase filled with his basic tools and minimal personal belongings. Each exhibition space becomes a new studio as he initiates works only after observing and being inspired by the energy and emotion given by the space. Since he pursues the beauty of simplicity with limited components under certain rules, he often compares his creative process to a haiku, Japanese short-form poetry. His work resembles his lifestyle of a traveler as it is created with minimal materials without any unnecessary components, which stays for a while and disappears.

The main work of this exhibition, Room Drawing (monochrome) #5 (2021), is an installation work created in response to the actual gallery space. He induces the viewers to move around experiencing the work in search of more subtle flow, tight tension, and oscillation. Folding Drawing #30 (2021), a small study about deep dimensions created by the “fold”, and Line Sculpture #21 (2021), a standing sculpture in a smaller size than a human body, focus more on the condensed space within the works. While Oh completes the structure starting from one point, the viewers see the complete structure first and in reverse trace down toward the details. This exhibition offers an opportunity for the viewers to experience different imaginary structures depending on their respective movements and perspectives.

Jong Oh (b.1981) received his B.F.A. in Sculpture from Hongik University and M.F.A. in Fine Art from School of Visual Art in New York. He has held his solo exhibitions at Sabrina Amrani Gallery (2019, Madrid, Spain), Lora Reynolds Gallery (2019, Austin, USA), Seoul Museum of Art (2018, Seoul, Korea), Marc Straus Gallery (2018, New York, USA), Jochen Hempel Gallery (2018, Berlin, Germany), Krinzinger Projekte (2015, Vienna, Austria), and Marso Foundation (2014, Mexico City, Mexico). Oh also has presented his works in numerous group exhibitions at Song Eun Art Space (2020, Seoul, Korea), P21 (2020, Seoul, Korea), ZKM Center for Art and Media (2019, Karlsruhe, Germany), Museum SAN (2019, Wonju, Korea), Hudson Valley MOCA (2019, New York, USA), deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum (2018, Lincoln, MA, USA), Art Sonje Center (2018, Seoul, Korea), Spiral (2018, Tokyo, Japan), etc. He was awarded the Song Eun Art Excellence Award in 2021, and also participated in El Núcleo Residency (Segovia, Spain), Krinzinger Residency (Vienna, Austria), and LMCC Residency (New York, USA). Oh is currently staying in New York as a 2021 Spring DOOSAN Residency New York Artist.