Sec 2 Assignment

Happy World

by Ik-Joong Kang

It's the start of a long day of eoys mugging and I thought of starting it with a post for this blog. I managed to dig up an old essay that I did back in 2009!!!! I scored quite well for this essay (but that's just for sec 2 sova work when the bar was lower than it is now hahahahahaha). I can't remember if mrs tan or mr lim kb marked it? Anyway, here it is, completely unedited (except marker's notes in red)

NYGH Sec 2 AEP trip to See Art! (Singapore Art Museum, March 13 2009)

Chermaine Wong (Class 201, AEP2)

Assignment: Free for all
Working individually, identify one 2D/3D artwork in any of the exhibitions (Korean Art, This is Not a Print!, At Home Abroad) Write a short critique (200-300 words) using Feldman’s method. End off by stating what you liked about the work, and how it compares with another work in the same exhibition.

Artwork: “Happy World”
Artist: Ik-Joong Kang
Size: 485cm x 485 cm
Year: 2006-2008
Medium: Mixed Media on Wood

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Korean Contemporary artist Ik-Joong Kang’s work, Happy World, has more than one version in the world. The one that I personally saw in Singapore Art Museum’s Korean Contemporary Art Show was one that was 485cm x 485cm in size. Happy World (2006-2008) consisted of more than 2300 wood tiles with a layer of glaze, some old toys and objects, pieced together to form an eye-catching on-the-wall exhibition.

Happy World is a very representational piece. The tiles present in the art work each represent dreams and memories of children. One tile that I distinctively remember is the one with a pale blue moon jar on it. This tile is repeated quite a few times, each with different coloured backgrounds. According to my research, moon jars represent peace and harmony (why do you think it represents peace and harmony?). 

This exhibition also includes objects stuck onto random tiles. These objects include a can opener, a Beyblade, Bionicle, and a Yo-yo, key chains, push pins, a huge stapler, a calculator, clock, many mirrors, and the list goes on; in other words, everyday items.

Kang made use of the elements of colour, repetition, scale, variety and emphasis to make this a complete piece. Colour and scale was overwhelming at first sight. Because of the mix of a large variety of tiles, colours from all over the colour wheel were present. The large scale square exhibit caused it not to be missed in the museum. Repetition was present using tiles, as well as emphasis on two groups of tiles in the upper part of the work.

Happy World reminds me of a child’s playhouse. Its playful colours, objects present on it, and general look, gives the impression of fun and laughter, providing me with a happy, relaxed mood. It even reminds me of my childhood and how I once used to play with toys. I believe this is what Ik-Joong Kang aimed to bring out of the viewer from his work. I also think that he deliberately made use of actual objects and not just pictorials to depict the realness of a child’s desires, dreams, memories, and childhood.

The tiles that Kang used were 3 inch by 3 inch (palm sized). According to an Asian belief, whatever is on the palm reflects what is on the mind. Therefore, what is on the tile is what is on the mind, in this case being dreams and memories.

What I like most about this work is the fact that the real objects made the piece more interesting and interactive. As compared to Pencil 2 by Hong Kyoung Tack, Happy World was definitely more appealing to the eye because of the 3D things on it. To me, Pencil 2 was very complicated and more difficult to appreciate because of the overly striking colours, as compared to Happy World. For this, I have to salute Ik-Joong Kang for his fabulous, unforgettable piece.

Notes: A well paced writing. The next level of writing will require you to acknowledge your footnotes or endnotes. We'll talk more about this next time. I'd enjoyed reading this, and look forward to the next.