Dream Gathered


Artist | Shin Han-Chul

Media | Stainless steel, transparent color coating

Location | LOTTE HOTEL JEJU The Canvas

Description of the Work

The work of artist Shin Han-Chul, consisting of proliferating spheres, is as cheerful as a bouquet of shiny balloons. Watching the movements of the visitors to the Canvas reflected in the gleaming surface of the work, it is easy forget that the piece is forged out of heavy stainless steel. This sculpture hangs from the ceiling, happy and bright, like precious dreams gathering and blooming, just like the title of the piece. It makes the space where people come to enjoy conversation and dining special. Even if it is a stationary piece fixed in place, Shin’s work possesses an intense vitality and gives an impression of an organic entity in motion. This work, which represents a constantly changing universe through spherical or elliptical forms that appear to be subdividing like molecules, seems to draw in the viewer and the surrounding environment due to the qualities of the sparkling mirror-like surface.

About the Artist

Shin Han-Chul is a sculptor who takes spherical forms as his unit of choice, and uses them to express their proliferation, division, and expansion.The sphere, which represents “life energy” for the artist, was first unveiled in Shin’s first solo exhibition in 1997. By the exhibition in 1999, he had adopted it as his chief sculptural motif, and Shin has been known as the “sphere artist” ever since. The sphere is the most abstract form in Shin Han-Chul’s sculptural work, as well as a form synonymous with creation. It represents the source of life and the most primordial of shapes, that can be molded into any form. As such, the artist creates works based on spheres that are organic in form, and the artwork, even if stationary, project a sense of movement and a strong vitality from within. Shin first came into prominence in 2003, when he was chosen to create sculptural works symbolizing the Korean War for the War Memorial in Yongsan. His work can also be found in the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, the War Memorial in Yongsan, Incheon Grand Park, ASEM Tower, the Asan Medical Center in Seoul, and the Ulsan World Cup Stadium, among others.

Shin Han-Chul (b. 1959, Republic of Korea)

Graduated from the College of Fine Art and the Graduate School of Fine Art, Seoul National University