Exhibition Dates: April 8 – May 2, 2026
Venue: Gallery We Cheongdam (25-17 Hosuro 52-beon-gil, Suji-gu)
Opening Hours: Tue–Sat, 10:00 AM – 6:30 PM
Exhibition Introduction: The Rhythmic Duality of Existence
Eun Ga-bi’s work explores the structural tension between the social self and internal sensations through the fundamental rhythm of "breathing." The artist presents two central themes—"The Mask" and "Kkum-mong (Dream)"—not as mere opposites, but as a dual structure of existence in a state of constant circulation.
The Mask Series: The Inhale of Social Persona This series brings the issue of the persona, constructed within social relationships, to the forefront.
Here, the figures are not individual subjects but surfaces formed by the accumulation of external gazes and norms.
Reminiscent of ball-jointed dolls, these forms embody both sophistication and artificiality, revealing a "tuned self" rather than an autonomous living being.
Specifically, the recurring Gache (traditional wig) represents a social structure built upon the body, acting as a device for display and a veil for concealment. The surfaces, overflowing with flowers and ornaments, are visual condensations of social desires and regulations.
The Kkum-mong Series: The Exhale of Inner Liberation Conversely, the Kkum-mong series calls upon an internal realm that deviates from external structures.
This world is composed of images where memory, sensation, and imagination blend. Figures shrink as landscapes expand, and the hierarchies and proportions of reality dissolve.
This represents a return to a childlike perspective and an attempt to reconnect with a sensory world that exists prior to social norms.
A Seamless Cycle The core of Eun Ga-bi’s painting lies in the fact that these two worlds are never disconnected. "The Mask" and "Kkum-mong" form a circulatory structure like inhaling and exhaling.
The moment of taking in the external world and the moment of returning to the inner self are inseparable; through this repeating rhythm, the subject is constantly reconstructed.
This is also reflected in the materials, where traditional Eastern pigments and Western textures coexist, creating a pictorial field where different layers of time, culture, and sensation intersect.
Artist’s Note: A Warm Greeting to You
We live our lives with many different faces: the version of ourselves at work, before our families, and among our precious friends.
We are accustomed to adjusting our masks whenever our surroundings change.
Perhaps becoming an adult means becoming more familiar with a face tailored to the gaze of others rather than our own true face.
I viewed that heavy moment—the necessity of absorbing social expectations and gazes—as the "Inhale" of the Mask Series.
A life where one must breathe in the world's demands while packaging and hiding oneself can sometimes feel so overwhelming that it takes your breath away.
However, just as we must exhale after inhaling to truly live, the Kkum-mong Series represents the most peaceful "Exhale"—a world of your own that exists beyond the mask.
In that place, untouched by the eyes of others, the pure memories and cozy recollections of childhood that we had momentarily forgotten begin to bloom.
Is it not this very breath—purifying the weight of the world taken in and breathing it back out as hope—that truly allows us to live? We likely exist somewhere on the trembling boundary between the fierce reality of the "Mask" and the pure interior of "Kkum-mong." Though the weight of the mask may grow as we age, I hope that the "Exhale" of a dream continues to breathe in a corner of our hearts.
To all those who have struggled to endure behind a mask: I hope my work reaches you as a small consolation, a warm greeting, and a breath of hope.
