Installation view of “Bead & Orchid” ©Chamber

Chamber presents a two-person exhibition “Bead & Orchid” by Park Wunggyu and Choe Sooryeon, until January 5 next year.

This exhibition is based on the shared interest of the two artists in the textures of aged painting surfaces and the forms of Buddhist art.

Installation view of “Bead & Orchid” ©Chamber

Park Wunggyu (b. 1987) specialized in Oriental painting, captures images on canvas that evoke ambivalent characteristics, based on his artistic responses to classical Buddhist paintings from Korea and Japan. In this exhibition, Park presents works that reinterpret a myth inspired by ‘Heuk Am Cheon’, the goddess of misfortune mentioned in Buddhist scriptures.

Meanwhile, Choe Sooryeon (b. 1986) has centered her artistic practice on exploring themes of identity and tradition, drawing inspiration from East Asian, particularly Northeast Asian, myths, legends, folktales, and ghost stories. In this exhibition, she presents a study of postures that embody mourning, contemplation, and tranquility, as expressed through the figures of women.

Installation view of “Bead & Orchid” ©Chamber

Both artists, while remaining within the trajectory of their existing practices, sought to experiment with slightly different approaches—one by amplifying narrativity and the other by removing it. A shared aspiration was to create a certain sense of "cuteness," whether or not it would resonate with the audience.

Ji Yeon Lee has been working as an editor for the media art and culture channel AliceOn since 2021 and worked as an exhibition coordinator at samuso (now Space for Contemporary Art) from 2021 to 2023.