Finding The Way Out From The Labyrinth

   Since childhood, Buddhism has been close to me-an unconscious part of my mind. I've never been a passionately religious person, but Buddhism and Buddhist temples have been a natural part of my life. Whatever the value, the familiarity of Buddhism is like the air that I breathe.

   People are changed by new environments. But some of our personal life stays the same. We free ourselves from the traditional things we don't thoroughly need. But the traditional background we have is placed so deeply, we can't easily throw it away.

   Most Buddhist temples in Korea are located in the mountains and are well-matched with nature. Sometimes, in Korea, I would go to a Buddhist temple to get some fresh air and smell thetrees in the woods. I don't have enough knowledge to give a long-winded explanation of Buddhism to someone, and I want to know some more about it for myself. More than just meditation or a philosophy of life, Buddhist prayer is about hoping that wishes come true. Even as people live a tough life, they get over their difficulties by keeping their wishes in mind. Common people's unsophisticated wishes and dreams make up Buddhism.

   People try to overcome the many difficulties met everyday. In other words, it is like a labyrinth where we look for the way out through so many endless trials and errors. In Greek mythology, when his queen gave birth to a monster, King Minos made a huge labyrinth and put the monster in it to control him. There are always entrances and exits in a labyrinth, but once someone is in there, they panic to find a way out. From the center, it is even harder to find one's way out of a labyrinth. Often, the image of the labyrinth is used to illustrate a tough problem or something that is not solved easily.

   To symbolize this, I have been making my own labyrinths, carved to the sides of one hundred and eight ceramic cubes. I have been making, carving, drying, glazing, and firing these cubes for one year. The process is like a meditation to me, causing me to be immersed in my activities. Concentrating on my work in this way makes me feel purified. I wanted to contain the traces and memories of the past, and I wanted to put this moment that we live and breathe into my cubes.

   Stones towers are everywhere in Korea. Here in Virginia, I wanted to build a stone tower, piled up and filled with my wishes. I did this in Virginia Beach, which is a strange and far-away place to Korea. Virginia started America's immigration history. Virginia was a new place of hope to its first European inhabitants, who dreamed of a new land. It also holds a meaning of settlement for me, personally. I tried to recall my memories of the strangeness of this new place as I built my stone tower.

   Virginia Beach is two hours from Richmond, where I live. The ocean, in Buddhism, symbolizes the rubs and worries of life. It is a place filled with all the desires and agonies of humanity. We often say that "life is like a painful ocean." Virginia Beach, however, is a place where many people go to enjoy swimming. There are also so many different common people's lives that wish for a better tomorrow.

   With my friends, I piled up stones to make a wishing stone tower at Virginia Beach in June, 2006. I also scattered the one hundred and eight cubes on the sands. It was just a day event. But I felt like I had blown out something stacked inside of me. I don't know what this event means to me. Maybe I've been tired of having shows in the galleries. Maybe I needed a ceremony of my own. Either way, I really wanted to have an installation work there.

   My memories of the time and work in Virginia Beach are happy ones. I had really wanted to do my work only for me, without any interference. From a different point of view, strange places filled with strange people are more comfortable to me. I feel strange and also free. I'm going to start new relations here very carefully. Lastly, I deeply appreciate my friends who helped me with this installation