For ‘I Thought I Lost It!’, Inclusion Is an Act

At the heart of the Hakgojae Gallery stands a trunk-less white elephant, frozen in motion. A nod to Joseon’s white elephant and the Buddhist parable of blind men, the animal has become a powerful symbol for social inclusion. Against the typical art gallery taboo, audiences are invited to touch the sculpture.  To understand the elephant’s unusual form, artist Oum Jeongsoon embraces tactile experience as a new line of sight.

I Thought I Lost It! brings together the work of three artists who remind us of the social role of art. Exploring collective resilience, this group exhibition looks at the loss of communal spirit amidst East Asia’s rapid urbanization.

Hailing from China, Japan, and Korea, each artist mediates how art comprehends and catalyzes social change. Ding Yi, a pioneer in experimental geometric abstraction, looks for a distinct Chinese identity in a constellation of cross and grid symbols. Renowned sculpture and performance artist Chiharu Shiota threads ideas of memory and the body in a sea of red, black, and white hues. Finally, Oum summons the sensorial through her elephant works. More than imagination, her practice marries the political and pragmatic to show more than what meets the eye.

Alongside the exhibition, I Thought I Lost It! invites a cast of curators, architects, and urban planners to consider how art and architecture can create social infrastructure for marginalized groups. Presentations shared during the forum will be published in a book following the exhibition period. “This provides a crucial framework for reflecting on ideologies we have yet to learn and memories we have yet to acquire,” the gallery says in a statement.

I Thought I Lost It! is now on view at Hakgojae Gallery in Seoul until October 5, 2024.

Hakgojae Gallery
50 Samcheong-ro, Sogyeok-dong,
Jongno District, Seoul,
South Korea