PG Gallery is hosting the first solo exhibition of Siiz (KIM Zisoo), a resident artist of the PlayGround Project, titled <Magicians Do Not Exist>. The exhibition will take place from August 9 to September 7, 2024, over a period of four weeks, and will showcase a total of 13 pieces. This solo exhibition highlights the artist's exploration of the irony between the inner world of contemporary youth and reality. The artist's sense of irony manifests through artificial elements such as comic book characters, flashes of light, fabricated environments, and fantastical spaces that exist in reality but feel distant and surreal. Through her new works, Siiz invites viewers to perhaps not awaken from this crafted fantasy.
The weight of life is subjective. However, the desire to escape that weight is objective. The artist believes that everyone, at times, feels an impulse to break free from life's constraints and to create another dimension, even if artificially. Including the artist, we may feel a sense of discomfort within these fabricated spaces, yet we also experience liberation and freedom. According to British psychoanalyst Steven Gross, there is a concept of a ‘safe haven’ for humans. When M, whom Gross has counseled, is overwhelmed by anxiety, he envisions a small house in France. Living amidst the complexities of the city, excessive competition, and isolation, he imagines the quiet and peaceful French house as a way to momentarily escape reality. This mental retreat helps M regain his composure and return to everyday life. However, M does not actually own a house in France; for him, the French house is a fabricated sanctuary that helps him navigate reality.
The title of this exhibition, <Magicians Do Not Exist>, is drawn from the final words of an elderly illusionist to a young girl named Alice in the animated film The Illusionist. In 1959 Paris, the dazzling emergence of modern art made reality a source of anxiety and fear for the aging illusionist. To escape this grim reality, he moved to England and encountered the country girl Alice. To Alice, who had no one to rely on, the illusionist was pure fantasy, and she, in turn, was a refuge for him. He struggled to maintain the illusion, but ultimately, illusions are powerless, and reality must be faced.
Siiz, the artist, finds solace and strength in visual media like animations and films. Sometimes, we feel a sense of reassurance from protagonists in movies or comics, whose dramatic yet predictable lives offer both expectation and stability. However, when discussing films, we often remind ourselves, "It's just a movie," thus reaffirming the reality. Ultimately, there is a safety mechanism in place that makes us aware that while fabricated realities may be engaging, they are never truly real.
In Siiz's new works, we encounter a sanctuary. In a quiet and cozy space of their own, the figures on screen enjoy moments of liberation. This space is our 'safe haven.' Sometimes, stepping just a little away from reality can lighten the heart. In <Magicians do not exist>, the figure gazes quietly into the distance, as if deep in thought. It’s unclear whether this contemplation is one of worry, anxiety, constructive struggle, or simply the comfort of setting aside the weight of reality. This is the figure’s personal safe haven where they can reflect in tranquility. The undisturbed space is covered with beautiful flowers, and bright, green leaves add a refreshing touch. However, upon closer inspection, there are discordant elements. Autumn-blooming cannas and spring roses cannot coexist, and the paper-cut roses starkly indicate that this is not a real place. The brightly lit home and the paper roses serve as a mechanism to guide the figure back from this crafted space to reality.
Since 2023, the artist has been delving into the boundary between reality and illusion through the motif of light. The light the artist uses is 'artificial light.' While dazzling displays like fireworks and amusement park lights create a magical escape from reality, they eventually lead us back to a darker, more mundane world once they dim. In the new pieces <My safe place 1-2>, light continues to play a significant role. In the heart of a quiet meadow, a figure relaxes in a chair, savoring a solitary moment bathed in warm light. This artificial light, casting a perfect circle around the figure, offers comfort while clearly defining the line between fantasy and reality. If the light were to go out, the figure's safe haven might vanish as well.
In the artist’s works, we encounter both comfort and tranquility, yet also a sense of alienation. This sense of alienation reveals that the situations depicted are not reality but illusions, and that illusions are fleeting moments. In the animated film <The Illusionist>, which inspired the exhibition title, the elderly illusionist’s fantasy shatters when the young girl falls in love with a real man instead of a magical figure. The magic of illusion only holds power when one calmly faces the reality of its existence. The moment illusion surpasses reality, the sense of 'self' becomes precarious, and reality appears even harsher. Stepping away from everyday life is crucial in our anxious times, making a 'safe haven' necessary for everyone. Yet, the moments of escape provided by illusion are most beautiful when they are fleeting. Illusion is a temporary magic, and such moments cannot exist without reality. There is no magician who can free oneself from reality.
