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originally published: 04/05/2023 

(TENAFLY, NJ) -- Acc gallery presents an invitational solo exhibition by Taesook Jeong under the title "The Vigorous Life Series, Between tranquility and comfort" from April 3 to April 20, 2023. The exhibition is curated by Hobong Kim.

There will be an opening reception on Saturday, April 8 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.

artist note

"Between tranquility and comfort"   "It's okay not to try so hard.”

This is a phrase from a YouTube sleep meditation that I listen to every night before going to bed. I really like this phrase because it makes me feel calm and at ease. It has helped me overcome insomnia that suddenly developed in my middle age.

 

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The process and results shown in my recent work felt like a fierce battle. It was a combination of a strong will to escape from a dark environment and repeated actions taken at every moment. While working, the pain was long and the joy was short-lived. "Why am I repeating this painful work? Is it a healing process for me, or is it self-pity?" Whatever it was, my emotions and the subject matter merged, and I was swept away by waves of emotion until my emotions suddenly detached from the subject. Once the emotions detached, there was a state that emerged, which was either tranquility or comfort. In Korean, these two words have different first characters: "편(便)” and "평(平)." "편(便)" can mean comfortable, flattering, skilled, restful, and learning, but it can also refer to excrement or urine. "평(平)" can mean flat, govern, neat, comfortable, decide, complete, equipped, harmonious, and easy. Besides "comfortable," the usage of the two characters is quite different. "안(安)" means peace, comfort, and pleasure. This character is combined with others to express psychological states of mind. In the dictionary, "평안(平安)" means a peaceful state, and "편안(便安)" means a comfortable and stable state.

Poet Kim So-yeon wrote in her book "The Dictionary of the Mind" about the subtle differences between the two words. "We like comfort. A comfortable person, a comfortable space, comfortable time... being comfortable means being convenient and safe. Everything is at our fingertips, and everything is like the tongue in the mouth. Therefore, we are relaxed without any desire. Being tranquil means peaceful and stable. Peace and stability are like the core of a typhoon, but to enjoy it, we need enough tension. Knowing this, our body, which already has tension, enjoys a peaceful state. To be tranquil means to be peaceful and stable. Peace and stability, like the eye of a typhoon, are at rest, but to enjoy them, one needs a certain level of tension. Because we already know this, our bodies know how to maintain a moderate level of tension while remaining in a state of peace, leaving us with a bit of enthusiasm. This peacefulness, maintained by a bit of enthusiasm and a moderate level of tension, requires invisible effort to carry out our relationships, places, and time properly. However, relaxed comfort without any desire does not take care of our relationships, space, or time that we belong to. When a family travels to a quiet countryside, everyone feels peaceful, but when someone else's discomfort is incurred at home, it often affects my comfort. My comfort may come at the expense of someone else's discomfort, but my peace can be a shared value with others.

Am I in a state of comfort or tranquility now, or somewhere in between? I want to enjoy the space between the tranquility and comfort that has come to me now, like the sunshine on a spring day after enduring winter."

Taesook Jung is interested in the harmony between humans and nature. After majoring in oriental painting, she wants to express the flow that penetrates the vitality of humans and nature based on free and lively calligraphy stroke and traditional coloring. Because the experiences of people living in this era overlap with nature, they are very interested in the environment. She also projects the inspiration of nature, which she felt more deeply through travel, into her work. After she received her degrees from Hong-ik University and graduate school, she taught at the university and worked as a curator in a gallery, leading a number of environmental art projects. After she moved to the United States, she pursued a home, business, and study at the same time. She continued her work at New York University where she completed her art appraisal, and occasionally worked as an instructor on ASIAN ART at the Philadelphia Museum. She currently has large collections of her work at Temple university and Park Townes Place in Philadelphia. Writer Jeong Tae-sook lives with his family and dog Olly in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, looking for little gratification.

Taesook Jeong is interested in the harmony between humans and nature. After majoring in oriental painting, she wants to express the flow that penetrates the vitality of humans and nature based on free and lively calligraphy stroke and traditional coloring. Because the experiences of people living in this era overlap with nature, they are very interested in the environment. She also projects the inspiration of nature, which she felt more deeply through travel, into her work. After she received her degrees from Hongik University and graduate school, she taught at the university and worked as a curator in a gallery, leading a number of environmental art projects. After she moved to the United States, she pursued a home, business, and study at the same time. She continued her work at New York University where she completed her art appraisal, and occasionally worked as an instructor on ASIAN ART at the Philadelphia Museum. She currently has large collections of her work at Temple university and Park Townes Place in Philadelphia. Writer Jeong Tae-sook lives with his family and dog Olly in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, looking for little gratification.

Acc gallery is located at 17-19 Washington St. 2nd fl (CVS Building) in Tenafly, New Jersey. Acc gallery specializes in modern and contemporary art. Acc gallery represents and supports international contemporary artists in painting, drawing, photography, video, sculpture, and installation. The gallery continually seeking for talented and exciting emerging artists to explore and expand the possibilities of their work.