Wayne state university
Elaine L. Jacob Gallery

Dismantle the Core
August 25, 2017 - October 14, 2017

Elaine L. Jacob Gallery at Wayne State University and Waterfall Mansion & Gallery are pleased to present DISMANTLE THE CORE, a mixed-media exhibition featuring works by the following artists: Jinwon Chang, Ilhwa Kim, Sui Park, and Lee Sung-Keun.

“DISMANTLE THE CORE features works by four contemporary artists who make art using existing objects as a source for their materials. The materials are manipulated and then strategically assembled to create patterned compositions that can be perceived as articulations of the metaphysical.

Crust, mantle, core – the artists transform their materials into microscopic / macroscopic compositions. Their fractal-like inventions can be perceived as divine matrices present in space and time.

Their mastery of labor-intensive techniques, simultaneously unique and universal, allows viewers to experimentally engage in the meditative processes performed during the creation of the works. The artists’ self-exertion is apparent through the flawless craftsmanship and repetitive details.

This exhibition is made possible with the cooperation and support of the Waterfall Mansion & Gallery, New York City.

The James Pearson Duffy Department of Art and Art History is a division of Wayne State’s College of Fine, Performing and Communication Arts, educating the next generation of visual artists, designers and art historians. Wayne State University, located in the heart of Detroit’s midtown cultural center, is a premier urban research university offering more than 350 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to more than 28,000 students (Elaine L. Jacob Gallery, 2017).”

McGregor Memorial Conference Center

Jinwon Chang’s Hweh-Geeh, Returning Again
November 30, 2015 - December 18, 2015

For Jinwon the act of creating his art is a meditative experience that brings him closer to his source. The gallery in which it is placed becomes a meditative space that includes the viewer on his spiritual odyssey for truth. It is here that Jinwon confronts his fear of death brought on by the trauma of drowning. Jinwon in his meditations becomes the creatures and vessels who can survive in the environment. In doing so he overcomes death.

Jinwon makes his creatures and vessels using strips of bamboo. His hometown Kwangju, Korea is famous for its bamboo crafts and bamboo is a material he is very comfortable with. It is strong, flexible, lightweight, and natural. Many of his forms are partially covered with a paper or cotton batting soaked with glue.

Jinwon Chang was born in South Korea in 1967. He holds two MFAs - 1996 Chung Ang University, Seoul, Korea; 2006 SUNY New Paltz University, New Paltz, NY. Since 1990, his artwork has been widely featured in well over 150 solo and group exhibitions in international and national galleries and public spaces. His work resides in both public and private permanent collections across the world including the National Museum of Contemporary Art (Korea), Silpakorn University (Thailand) and City Hall (Kwangju, Korea).

Elaine L. Jacob Gallery Wayne State University
480 W Hancock Street
Detroit, Michigan 48202