quelque part 2026

Seoyoung Cho's solo exhition 22 - 30 August, 2026 CURATED COLUMNS Seoul, South Korea

In this exhibition, the willow tree stands as a crucial symbol. In classical Korean painting and literature, willows—often situated along watersides, ferry docks, and wellsprings—occupy the threshold between staying and leaving, embodying emotions of parting, recollection, and longing. The tradition of jeolyang (절양, 折楊)—snapping off a willow branch to offer to someone departing—carries not only the sorrow of farewell but also sincere wishes for a safe journey and eventual reunion. Renowned for a vitality so resilient that a severed branch can take root when replanted, the willow symbolizes how life continues after departure and can begin anew in foreign soil. Firmly rooted in one place yet constantly swaying with the wind and waves, the willow branch evokes the dual sensation of being caught between settling down and moving on.

The Frailejón, a recurring motif in the artist’s work, stems from childhood memories of exotic landscapes encountered in Texas and Indonesia. The plant’s survival mechanism—relocating to find hospitable conditions and taking root even in barren terrain—mirrors the human condition of repeatedly moving and settling within unfamiliar environments. Here, the plant is not merely an image of nature; it serves as a pillar sustaining life and a visualization of roots reaching out to thrive once again somewhere new.

Just as negative space (yeobaek) in traditional Korean painting was not a void but a realm where wind, sound, light, and time lingered, the unfilled spaces in Cho’s work invite us to sense places yet to be reached. The act of delicate stitching also reflects her approach to memory. Stitching connects separated fragments without concealing the gaps and traces between them—interstices where the accumulated moments of moving and remaining reside.

What the artist refers to as "somewhere" (quelque part) is neither a specific geographic location nor a place to which one can actually return. Rather, it is an interior landscape formed by layers of traversed cities, scenery, forgotten sensations, and lingering memories. The artworks do not attempt to fully restore places of the past. Instead, they reassemble fragments of incomplete memory within contemporary materials and space, creating a new sanctuary for temporary rest.