The majority often expresses discrimination and hatred toward the minority. To overcome such tendencies, we must first recognize and accept individual differences. KANG Seohyun focuses on how society perceives ‘difference’ as a ‘deficiency’ within its normative values. Through paintings and sculptural works, the artist visualizes the idea that difference is not a lack but an expansion of possibilities. By filling the canvas with a unique blend of metaphor and symbolism, where violence and compassion coexist, the artist encourages viewers to reflect on the real world.

KANG Seohyun majored in Visual Design in both undergraduate and graduate studies but later explored various artistic mediums, including painting, drawing, ceramics, and sculpture, through self-study. In the early stages of the artist’s career, densely packed characters within small-scale paintings depicted chaotic confrontations—hybrid beings of robots, animals, and mechanical humans reminiscent of ‘Tokusatsu heroes’ engaged in intense conflicts.

In the solo exhibition ‘The Lost Leg and a Thousand Feet to Be Born’ at Space Willing N Dealing in 2025, KANG Seohyun unfolds a grand narrative reminiscent of historical wartime scenes. Drawing inspiration from Italo Calvino’s novel ‘The Cloven Viscount’, the exhibition constructs its visual storytelling through large-scale canvases that dominate the space, evoking a theatrical stage set in a medieval-like era. Each intricate detail of the imagery is embedded with symbolic and metaphorical elements that stimulate the imagination.

The artist has crafted numerous clay feet, fired and painted, envisioning the potential forms that an absent body part—specifically, the missing leg—could take. This act of creation grants a multitude of possibilities to what may initially seem like a deficiency. Within the works, dualistic elements such as angelic and demonic wings, human-animal hybrids, and symbols of peace and violence intertwine, generating a chaotic battlefield. This imagery serves as a poignant reminder of the conflicts we face in reality—clashes of ideologies, political disputes, generational and gender divides—ultimately illustrating life itself as an immense battleground.

Opening Reception
Wednesday, March 5, 2025 | 5:00 PM

Address
2F, 48-1 Jahamun-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Gallery Hours
Wednesday – Sunday | 12:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Artist
Kang Seo-hyun

Curator
Kang Seo-hyun, Han Jun-hee

Exhibition Dates
March 5 (Wed) – March 30 (Sun), 2025

Venue
Space Willing N Dealing

Organized & Sponsored by
MnJ Cultural Welfare Foundation

Website
willingndealing.org

Contact
willingndealing02@gmail.com
Tel: +82-2-797-7893
Instagram DM (@space_willingndealing)

(Text and images courtesy of Space Willing N Dealing)