"John Doe – The Unnamed" · 2026 · 往期信息

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日期

2026年10月6日 — 2026年10月23日

地点

Gohan Cinema 28-12, Gohan 10-gil, Gohan-eup, Jeongseon-gun, Gangwon-do Special Self-Governing Province Gohan Cinema

当时的入场价格

免费

信息核实日期

2026-10-11

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2026-10-11

当时公布的节目

Subtitle: Anonymous ‘John Doe’ Figures and a Metaphor for Contemporary Society. In English-speaking countries, ‘John Doe’ is a temporary name used for a person whose identity or name is unknown. The figures in Kimijak’s paintings likewise appear without their identities being revealed. Facial details are erased, leaving empty spaces where eyes and mouths should be. We cannot know their names or expressions. With the face absent, the viewer’s gaze moves to the body. The direction of an outstretched arm, a shoulder’s angle and the distance between bodies communicate feelings and circumstances. Looking at John Doe is less a matter of reading each figure than interpreting its situation. The artist gives these figures water polo caps. During water polo, players move wearing similar caps, with only their heads above the water. They are difficult to distinguish, and the ball passes constantly from hand to hand. In this scene, the artist examines contemporary social relationships. We form relationships as if passing a ball, without fully recognising one another. Sometimes we choose to hide our faces and blend into a group. John Doe represents us living without a self-directed name. Their hands and feet are small in relation to their bodies. Hands and feet do the actual work; in a society that inflates achievements and credentials, the labour that produces those achievements is increasingly diminished. The small extremities point to this imbalance. The artist also distances the work from accounts of art based only on genius or inspiration. A painting is completed through accumulated daily manual labour. The small hands of unnamed figures hint at unseen work. This also explains the choice of water polo. Many sports are remembered through a single star, but water polo cannot function unless the whole team moves together. None of the painted players becomes the protagonist. The flow created as they lean towards one another stands at the centre. On this basis, the early circus series showed situations that succeeded only when several people maintained balance together. The later sports series extended balance into more everyday scenes. These figures are painted on linen. Its rough texture absorbs paint, producing colours that seem to seep gently outward. Rather than building many layers, the artist spreads paint simply in one layer; the John Does blend into their surroundings without standing out. The material’s character resembles the situation of anonymous figures. In John Doe – The Unnamed, viewers encounter figures without names. Just as none can be named, we too pass most people we meet each day as nameless presences. The viewer turning away from the painting also remains a faceless figure to someone else. The viewer before the canvas is one more John Doe.