CYNC

As the non-face-to-face era continues, the virtual realm known as the Metaverse increasingly reflects the social, economic, and cultural aspects of our daily lives, deeply embedding itself into everyday experience. Rooted in Plato's philosophy of the Idea, the boundary between virtuality and reality has evolved through technological advancements, particularly photography, expanding into the realm of artistic expression. The exhibition <Virtuality and Reality> showcases three artists—SATA, Lee Jeong-lok, and Han Sung-pil—who explore the ambiguous borders between reality and the virtual through photography. SATA translates personal trauma into virtual spaces to reveal healing processes, Lee Jeong-lok expresses the sublimity of vanished lives through symbolic light, and Han Sung-pil continually questions the boundaries between reality and virtuality through the meaning of replicated images. Their works oscillate between virtual and real, inviting contemplation on humanity’s endless imagination and desires.

Timmy Kim (Director, CYNC)

비대면 시대가 지속되며 메타버스라는 가상 세계가 현실의 사회·경제·문화 전반을 반영하면서 일상 깊숙이 스며들고 있다. 플라톤의 이데아 철학에서 출발한 가상과 현실의 경계는 사진술이라는 기술적 발전을 통해 예술적 표현의 영역으로 확장됐다. 이번 전시 <가상과 현실>에서는 SATA, 이정록, 한성필 세 명의 작가가 사진을 매개로 현실과 가상의 모호한 경계를 탐구한다. SATA는 개인적 트라우마를 가상으로 옮겨 치유의 과정을 드러내고, 이정록은 빛을 통해 사라진 생명의 숭고함을 표현하며, 한성필은 복제된 이미지의 의미를 통해 현실과 가상의 경계를 끊임없이 질문한다. 이들의 작품은 가상과 현실 사이를 오가며 인류의 끊임없는 상상력과 욕망을 함께 사유하게 한다.

김명석 (디렉터, CYNC)

Swiss psychologist C. G. Jung described active imagination as the process of translating unconscious content into narrative form. For artists, visualizing their imagination becomes an essential method for narrating personal stories within virtual worlds. This practice goes beyond merely depicting hopeful fantasies or childlike desires. Instead, it involves artists expressing their unconscious experiences—shaped through personal growth—via creative activities. Consequently, the virtual worlds they create remain inseparable from reality. Such works often prompt reflections on the meaning of virtual existence for humans, highlighting the inseparable relationship between humanity’s boundless desires and imagined worlds. Today, humans continue dreaming of virtual worlds, navigating endlessly between their imagination and the reality in which they live.

Timmy Kim (Director, CYNC)

Han Sung-pil

Han Sung-pil investigates the implications of replicated virtual images by re-photographing installations originally set in the real world. Drawing inspiration from Jean Baudrillard’s theory of simulacrum—a condition where signs of the virtual increasingly replace reality, blurring distinctions between genuine and imitation—Han's work confronts these blurred boundaries. His series Facade captures large-scale replicated images covering urban construction sites, systematically documenting this phenomenon in a manner akin to public art. Extending beyond mere documentation, Han’s project The Ivy Space reveals otherwise hidden interiors to the outside by deliberately installing coverings, expanding viewers' perception from a two-dimensional plane to three-dimensional reality. Through exploring various cultures and spaces, Han continually questions our visual perception and challenges us to reconsider the distinction between reality and simulation.

Lee Jeong-lok

Lee Jeong-lok reconstructs vanished lives, reminding us of the greatness and mystery of life itself. His work emerges from fundamental inquiries into the very source of life—a profound, timeless question underlying humanity’s existence. Lee discovers life's essence in light, not merely as physical illumination, but as a symbolic representation of historical continuity, reviving forgotten beings. In series like Santiago and Iceland, he places symbolic representations of life-giving light within vast, majestic landscapes, dissolving temporal boundaries and evoking reverence for countless forgotten lives. The overlapping layers of luminous traces in his virtual worlds encourage viewers to contemplate life's sublime nature and humanity's interconnectedness with history.

SATA

For SATA, the virtual world serves as both a refuge and a healing space to overcome real-world wounds. His series, SaTARK, is autobiographical, as suggested by the title incorporating the artist's own name. Sensitive from childhood, SATA was easily affected by external environments and interpersonal interactions, accumulating deep emotional traumas that followed him throughout life. While most people tend to hide or seek medical or psychological treatment for such wounds, SATA chooses to acknowledge these experiences openly. He transfers his traumas from the physical world into virtual spaces—not explicitly for therapeutic reasons but rather as a natural expression of his subconscious. Creating replicated virtual environments, he positions himself alongside various natural elements, enabling his boundless imagination to transcend time and space. Through this indirect expression, he unconsciously reveals hidden traumas, ultimately overcoming them and returning to his authentic self. Thus, SATA liberates himself from psychological constraints by externalizing real-world issues within his virtual creations.

Virtuality and Reality

Han Sung-pil

SATA

Lee Jeong-lok

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