In paintings by artist Moon Ji-yeon, what you see on the surface of the canvas is not all there is.

You will need an LED lighting to bring out the hidden image in the back ― a desolate urban landscape, characterized by a jumble of utility pole cables, transforms into a forest where a deer runs under the shining sun. That’s the complete image when two contrasting scenes merge with the lighting.

Behind such exploration of blending painting with other mediums is Moon, 34, who is showcasing 20 of his paintings in a solo exhibition until June 30 at Chung Jark Gallery in Sinsa-dong, Seoul.

“I depict symbols of a city such as utility poles in a gray tone to express its coldness and loneliness. But the urban scene transforms into a forest as I turn on the light. The light functions to reveal the hidden image behind what we see,” said Moon. 

Moon paints on both sides of a canvas ― the front image shown to viewers when the LED light is off and the other that appears through the back side of the canvas when the light is on.

“I’ve been interested in images that we see and don’t see,” she said. “A complex, dry urban scene is what we usually see, but it turns into a forest ― the world we admire or dream of.”

Her paintings feature transformation of spaces or coexistence: Utility poles become trees and winter and summer seasons exist together.

Time is another interest of the artist, especially the very moment when the transformation takes place.

“It can be explained with the ancient Greek word ‘Kairos,’ the moment of indeterminate time in which something special happens,” she said.

“Throughout the trace of time, there’s a special scene lingering on one’s head. That’s when one meets their ‘Kairos’ moment.”

For more information, call (02) 549-3112 or visit www.chungjark.com.

By Lee Woo-young (wylee@heraldcorp.com)