Artistic Suspending Illustrations of Charcoal
Seon Ghi Bahk
In a rural village called Seonsan, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province in 1966, Seon Ghi Bahk was born. Being surrounded by nature, Bahk was inherently fascinated by his environs, particularly the elements of wind, mountains, and trees (Bahk). As an artist, he aims to explore the humanistic relationship between nature through illustrations and sculptures (Bahk). With air and mountains being harder to depict through art, he employs charcoal to represent how environmental materials, such as tree wood, are adopted in various ways for human use (Bahk).His Work
Bahk’s hanging charcoal illustrations primarily showcase the adoption of nature expressed through a familiar medium — architecture. In human civilizations, nature is commonly degraded and merely seen as a tool to maintain the essence of humankind. Through his work, Bahk embraces the environmental elements and geological processes to demonstrate how human development is “impossible without nature” (Zhang). He creates various forms of levitating architectural pillars, stairs, and arches with uniform gaps to represent elements of air and wind. By capitalizing on the space in each room, Bahk's illustrations depict how elements, objects, and life on earth exist beyond their uses for human consumption.Immerse Yourself In The Beauty
Cultural Dissection
Charcoal is produced when the amount of oxygen in the combustion of wood or other biomass is heavily controlled — a process called pyrolysis (Idowu). This chemical procedure primarily leaves the resource configured by carbon since organic matter decomposes (Idowu). Due to the carbon-rich compositions and similar pyrolysis process, comparisons to coal often arise (Idowu). The stark difference is that coal is a fossil fuel cooked under immense heat and pressure for millions of years. Coal varies from a dark brown to black shade depending on the type, whereas charcoal is universally a matte black.Why charcoal? Bahk’s focus as an artist is to display the intersecting relationship between humans and nature, so charcoal is preferred over
coal for its manufactured characteristics. Furthermore, the beauty of charcoal lies in the more natural black color compared to artificial blacks expressed in media (Art Terms). Such natural colors produce a friendlier effect on viewers, as the chemically vivid composition of the artificial colors appears harsh and uniform to the eye. In hanging illustrations, the material must be lightweight to enable the nylon threads to hold the artist's ideal configuration. Stones and coal are much denser materials that cannot depict the delicate illusions of abstract shapes suspended in the air.
The poetic charms behind Bahk’s hanging illustrations are the envisioned shapes emphasized by the intricacies of the element. By exploiting vanishing perspectives, columns are pictured fading or dissolving in the distance while other structures appear damaged. Eliminating the periphery in objects causes the expansion of the room, forcing the viewers to immerse themselves in the depth of the illustrations (Korean Artist Project). Together, these elements showcase the means to which humans manipulate the material around them to achieve configurations that once thought to be impossible. An instance of this is exhibited in the levitating columns which depict how humans utilize their resources to build towering skyscrapers beyond their previous capacities. Like other fuel resources such as coal, there is a skewed image of charcoal. The element of charcoal deriving from a tree becomes dissociated, leading society to ignore how the use and production similarly contribute to greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere and deforestation, resulting in less oxygen production.
Conclusion
From fueling furnaces and rural traditional workshops to cooking cultural meals with a uniquely smokey flavor, charcoal has a prevailing significance in society. Bahk seemingly draws upon the global damage alongside the global reliance to display the intrinsic human desire to exploit their environment. As a material used much longer than coal, society perceives the source as a more environmentally friendly option despite the immense contribution to climate change. The manufactured material further symbolizes the humanistic yearning for the earth to conform to their needs while disregarding their deeply embedded connection with nature. Bahk aims to capture the influential contributions nature has provided for humankind to encourage society to express its gratitude.Bibliography
Art Terms. “Bahk Seon Ghi: The Master of Hanging Installation | Artist Interview.” YouTube, 25 June 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f750jQ6dVQ.Bahk, Seon Ghi. “박선기: Bahk Seon Ghi.” 박선기 작가 웹사이트 입니다. | Bahk Seon Ghi’s Portfolio Web, http://bahkseonghi.com/
Idowu, Oladipo S et al. “Health risks associated with the production and usage of charcoal: a systematic review.” BMJ vol. 13,7 e065914. 24 Jul. 2023, doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-065914
Korean Artist Project. “Seon-Ghi Bahk.” YouTube, 24 Aug. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdLuXSOlkY0.
Treggiden, Katie. “Seon Ghi Bahk Suspends Charcoal in Mid Air at Miami’s Zadok Gallery.” Dezeen, 18 June 2014, www.dezeen.com/2014/06/18/seon-ghi-bahk-suspended-charcoal-installation-fiction-of-the-fabricated-image-zadok-gallery-miami/.
Zhang, Jenny. “Columns of Suspended Charcoal Explore Relationship between Nature and Man.” My Modern Met, 16 June 2016, mymodernmet.com/seon-ghi-bahk-fiction-of-the-fabricated-image/.
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