Credits: Cho Gi-Seok

A new “third space” is emerging and defining the way we connect with our fellows, and is consolidating our life purposes. We are traversing a period characterized by the remembrance of a biological catastrophe and, in response to this, an inward desire to reconnect with the main elements of our being, is fortifying. As we meditate deeper, we develop a focus on revitalising our relationship with internal and external energies, meaning a fluid balance between the cultural and biological side, the artificial and the organic. Korean artist Cho Gi-Seok embraces this introspective-thinking, holistic-seeking attitude that prioritises an immersive alliance.
His artworks are characterised by the presence of morphic-liquefaction, which leads us back to the post-anthropocentric idea of identity, questioning a long-established pyramidal order. Flowers of all sizes and species melt with the morphology of faces and bodies portrayed; the choice of representing the youngest part of the Millennial generation is indicative of how the aim for an interdependent and fruitful co-existence is sought after, and will be even more prominent in younger generations.

Credits: Cho Gi-Seok

Moreover, the revival of mythological and ancient iconography serves as a compass to indicate how our foundational roots are turning into a new introspective and spiritually neutral oriented dimension.

Credits: Cho Gi-Seok

On the other hand, querying a parallelism between recycled materials and forms of nature, man-made and organic, the South Korean jewellery brand VACSOM investigated this perspective. Selecting shunned materials, the designs assume labyrinthine forms that wrap around the wearer’s body as if a third modality of meeting with ‘the other’ could emerge. Iridescent colours accompany the pieces, each of which present a metamorphic structure and hyper-tactile surfaces, recalling the need for a new balance, that is now perceived as out-of-sync.

Credits: VACSOM