Art of Meditation

On display at the Carl Solway Gallery in Cincinnati until December 15th '07 is work by Korean-American artist Ik-Joong Kang. You may have seen his one of his mosaic installations of 3" x 3" blocks at the San Francisco International Airport or New York City subway system. Kang has also been collecting thousands of children's drawings for various commissions, including an installation at the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, part of which was on loan for this exhibition.

The Solway exhibition titled "Everything He Has" features hundreds of small blocks that are sometimes delicately drawn or painted, and other times bulky, as he adheres objects to them with resin. I found myself stepping back and forth quite often to enjoy both the details and fascinating patterns that emerged at a distance.



For me, the most memorable piece was "Floating Buddha." The block form is removed from the wall and begins to find a new dimension within the space. Brightly colored Buddha blocks are attached to suspended, slightly concave substrates and appear to be floating, giving them a monumental and ethereal quality.

THE DEPOSIT | Make something everyday (discipline). A great idea can develop from a simple observation. An interesting texture can be made by scratching a resin surface.