Untitled Document

The "unknown zone" is a name for a transit area through which you pass in order to arrive at a certain destination on the Internet. The zone is somewhere in which people attempt to neutralize their own boundaries, for example the "A.T. Field" from Neon Genesis Evangelion, by colliding with others so as to achieve the complete level of communication. Lastly, the "unknown zone" can be portrayed as a place where not only the identities of escaped women would stay with anxiety and unstability but also my other selves who intimidate my inner self could live without any pressure.

In the zone, borders are erased and blurred so that places are penetrated and blended. The distinction between the center and peripheries does not exist any more. The area cannot be called with a specific name since who step in the place are people on the run continuously. The zone is where everything is de-territorialized.

Furthermore, the "unknown zone" is in nature similar to such things as "an ambiguous face," "something hidden from me," and "a certain part of a body that can not be named specifically." That is, it is not feasible for people to approach the area with the help of their idiosyncratic experiences or common sense. By relying on provided images by the artist, however, viewers could reach there drawing upon your past experiences.

Fortunately, the current time is the so-called era of pluralism, uncertainty, and digital technology. This trend has assured me that my work can be built upon colliding images from my confusing consciousness and moreover that those images can be viewed as an entity under the title of the "unknown zone." I designed this exhibition as a way to express the various aspects of the '"unknown zone" and reveal my personal cognitive pathway that has led me to the zone.

This exhibition is intended to assist viewers in recognizing the existence of the "unknown zone" even though they might be able to feel only a part of the whole picture. By exposing viewers to the "unknown zone," I hope that I could provide a sense datum in my images so that they could feel free from their outside restraints and open to inner resistance.

The works in this exhibition consist of short images which are connected without discontinuity. They are viewed repeatedly in a loop form. Each image portrays people who belong to the "unknown zone," in particular those who are evicted, escaped and transient. This exhibition is my first invitation to the "unknown zone." I must admit that I do not see myself in the space since I am one of those who do not fully recognize latent restraints from the outside and therefore fail to posit myself in the "unknown zone." As I am one of those, this exhibition is how far I could accomplish in the task of ushering viewers into the "unknown zone."

I sincerely hope that my invitation could help each viewer get to the zone by themselves where no boundaries exist.

The unknown zone_Invitation I: Aliens
"The Unknown Zone_Invitation I: Aliens" was the first solo exhibition in 2002 by Eunsu Kang. As a 2002 Insa Art Space (The Korean Art and Culture Foundation) juried exhibition, it was sponsored by InfoArtKorea and CyberMed Inc.. This exhibition consists of five video installations. Participants are led to a dark space where they encounter five floating motion pictures, entitled Medium, in a hallway. As they turn a corner, visitors are welcomed by four creatures: Chrysalis who breathes underwater, Persephone who cowers near the corner of the big main space, Siren who sings without a mouth, and Struldbrugg who transforms its head on the sand. These aliens, neglected and outcast from normal society, arrive at the Unknown Zone. By exposing themselves through a chasm in the unknown zone, they hope to neutralize their own isolation by colliding and communicating with the participants.
Exhibition Views





Artist's Statement
The "unknown zone" is a name for a transit area through which you pass in order to arrive at a certain destination on the Internet. The zone is somewhere in which people attempt to neutralize their own boundaries, for example the "A.T. Field" from Neon Genesis Evangelion, by colliding with others so as to achieve the complete level of communication. Lastly, the "unknown zone" can be portrayed as a place where not only the identities of escaped women would stay with anxiety and unstability but also my other selves who intimidate my inner self could live without any pressure. In the zone, borders are erased and blurred so that places are penetrated and blended. The distinction between the center and peripheries does not exist any more. The area cannot be called with a specific name since who step in the place are people on the run continuously. The zone is where everything is de-territorialized. Furthermore, the "unknown zone" is in nature similar to such things as "an ambiguous face," "something hidden from me," and "a certain part of a body that can not be named specifically." That is, it is not feasible for people to approach the area with the help of their idiosyncratic experiences or common sense. By relying on provided images by the artist, however, viewers could reach there drawing upon your past experiences. Fortunately, the current time is the so-called era of pluralism, uncertainty, and digital technology. This trend has assured me that my work can be built upon colliding images from my confusing consciousness and moreover that those images can be viewed as an entity under the title of the "unknown zone." I designed this exhibition as a way to express the various aspects of the '"unknown zone" and reveal my personal cognitive pathway that has led me to the zone. This exhibition is intended to assist viewers in recognizing the existence of the "unknown zone" even though they might be able to feel only a part of the whole picture. By exposing viewers to the "unknown zone," I hope that I could provide a sense datum in my images so that they could feel free from their outside restraints and open to inner resistance. The works in this exhibition consist of short images which are connected without discontinuity. They are viewed repeatedly in a loop form. Each image portrays people who belong to the "unknown zone," in particular those who are evicted, escaped and transient. This exhibition is my first invitation to the "unknown zone." I must admit that I do not see myself in the space since I am one of those who do not fully recognize latent restraints from the outside and therefore fail to posit myself in the "unknown zone." As I am one of those, this exhibition is how far I could accomplish in the task of ushering viewers into the "unknown zone." I sincerely hope that my invitation could help each viewer get to the zone by themselves where no boundaries exist. March 2002 artist[gja:n]