Namju BAE

Namju BAE, born in 1985, has focused on the concept of the "in-between," a space that belongs nowhere, through his early work in flat painting. He visualizes the "uncertainty" inherent in this "in-between" quality, which rejects binary oppositions. Fascinated by the ambiguous "interstitial spaces" that cannot be clearly defined—such as those between happiness and unhappiness, death and birth, inside and outside, light and darkness, reality and ideal—he positions the concept of "in-between" as an "alternative utopian world" and expresses this uncertain world through his paintings.

 

BAE's artistic exploration closely mirrors the deconstructive thinking of French philosopher Jacques Derrida. In his effort to liberate art from the rational, architectonic desire, Derrida emphasizes the concept of "parergon" in his book *The Truth in Painting* (1978). "Parergon" refers to the supplementary elements of an artwork, such as the frame, which is a non-essential ornament surrounding the essential work (ergon). Derrida argues that the frame, which demarcates the boundary between the world of the artwork and the outside world, is also part of the work itself, affecting it. This implies that the artwork, its surrounding frame, the space in which it is exhibited, and even the viewers who engage with it all influence one another, making it impossible to clearly distinguish what is essential and what is not. Consequently, the world, which cannot be defined by the binary logic of essence and non-essence, is filled with the indeterminacy and instability that Derrida describes with the concept of "différance."

 

Recognizing that visually defining and realizing this "uncertain utopian world" is inherently paradoxical, BAE continues to expand his conceptual and painterly methodologies through constant research and reflection. In particular, his work *Variable Memories* stems from the idea of "uncertainty (indeterminacy)" that has preoccupied the artist. The piece visually expresses the idea that the world we perceive is not fixed or immutable, but rather is reprocessed and transformed by past events and current experiences through the interaction of memory. By covering and then scraping away paint on photographs that capture moments we believe to be true, BAE reveals the process by which our memories are altered by present experiences. The resulting work, which combines photographic images with painting, illustrates the formation of new realities and memories. Through his work, BAE raises questions about our perception and experience, exploring how the interaction between the past and the present shapes our reality.

 

/ Jeongwon KIM, Gallerist of GALLERY MAC