For over seventy years John Pai‘s artistic practice has delved into themes ranging from memory and the subconscious to international art forms, East Asian philosophy and science. From the early 1960s he began working with steel, exploring both its technical and aesthetic potential through abstract forms, influenced by Constructivism.
Pai is known for his meticulous and detailed metal sculptures, where thin strips are welded into grids and plates to create delicate woven textures. A material that we usually associate with heavy constructions is transformed into intimate works that seem as if they could float in the air. Soft curves and mesh-like surfaces suggest organic forms or textiles as opposed to industrial applications.
Shared destinationsthe artist’s solo exhibition Gallery Hyundaipresents almost forty pieces that Pai has created over the past seventy years. The exhibition consists of welded steel sculptures, drawings and paintings and highlights the artist’s multidisciplinary approach to material, process and form.
For example, in the work ‘Shared Destinies’ (from which the exhibition takes its name), layers of subtly welded steel suggest a woven basket. Ethereal pieces such as ‘Invocation’ are reminiscent of Ruth Asawa’s undulating, woven wire sculptures. The visible inner structures reflect the universal layers of the human psyche, the artist’s time and journey of self-exploration.
Shared destinations continues through October 20 in Seoul. See more in the gallery website.
