“The process of ‘piling books up’ is similar to ‘slow traveling’. Though stacking books one by one is slow, the deep breathing from doing it is appealing. Akin to individually distinctive images and texts inside the book pile that harmonize to become a single painting, Yu-Ra Seo’s work speaks of the sentimental layers of our lives though complex and stingy."

Excerpt from Artist Note

 

Like block piles, she stacks, opens, turns, and erects topsy-turvy countless books. Sometimes the books are real or imaginary in the painting. From a book title and the image, we unveil the hidden meanings like a riddle or pictorial puzzle.

 

Book piling started as a personal recollection of the memories and experiences from her childhood dairy <Yura’s Day>. It now becomes more than that. A stratum of books is formed by their different shapes and narratives like diverse individuals have to congregate to form a society. Our time layers with sediments as much as the thickening terrain of the books.

 

Education

M.F.A. & B.F.A. in Painting, Hannam University, Daejeon, Korea

 

Solo Exhibitions

2015 Next Code, Daejeon Museum Art creative center, Daejeon

New Sensation, Seoul art center, Seoul

2014 Pieces of Dreams, W.K NEWYORK Gallery, Seoul

2011 Soul Trip, Gana contemporary, Seoul

 

Selected Group Exhibitions

2016 FOLD/ PILE, S+ Gallery, Busan

2015 Time of Things, Gallery Seohwa

2014 Small is beautiful, Gana art Busan

2013 Hello! Alice, Gallery JJ, Seoul

2012 Hongik Museum of Art, Seoul / Gyeonggi Provincial Museum / Gana art center, Seoul / Jeonbuk Museum of Art / Park yeo-sook Gallery, Seoul

2011 Gana art center, Seoul / Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul / Jeju Museum of Art

 

Collection

Artbank / Samsung Hotel, Geoje / Top Construction /  KTB Investment Bank /  E.Land Space / Gana art center / PakYougSa/ Etc

 

Residency

2014  Cite Internationale des Arts (Paris, France)

2008~Current Gana Atelier Resident Artist

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