Beyond the Gaze, Where Time Lingers
GALLERY MARIE, Seoul, Korea · 2025-06-20 – 2025-08-01
투명하지 않은 시간들-카이로스 시간 속 정지된 여행 ● 지오 최는 오늘도 여행 중이다. 장시간 작업실에 들어앉아 눈과 마음에 담긴 것을 곱씹어 보고, 화면에 펼쳐내는 내면의 여행이다. 그런데 이는 선형적으로 흐르는 크로노스(Chronos)의 시간이 아닌, 기억과 감정이 겹겹이 포개져 '불투명한 시간' 속에서 펼쳐진다. 지오 최의 작업은 본질적으로 층층이 쌓인 기억 속 카이로스(Kairos)의 시간에서도 빛을 잃지 않고 선명히 떠오르는 대상을 건져내어 시각화하는 과정이기 때문이다. ● 물론 실제 물리적인 여행도 잦은 편이라 이번 전시에서 선보이는 작품들 역시 작년 미국 네바다와 유타 10여 곳의 국립공원 레지던시를 비롯해 캐나다, 제주도, 거제도, 최근 중국 산서성에 이르는 장소의 특성을 고스란히 드러낸다.
지오최_The Dream Harmony_한지에 아크릴채색, 먹_128×79cm_2025
지오최_Moments Unclear, Forever Blooming_캔버스에 아크릴채색_193×129cm_2025
지오최_한밤의 환상곡 l -Bryce canyon_캔버스에 아크릴채색_130×324cm_2024
지오최_한밤의 
환상곡lll -Capitol Reff_한지에 아크릴채색, 먹_60.5×140.5cm_2025
그렇다고 지오 최가 의도적으로 '그럴싸한 멋진 풍경'을 찾아다니는 것만은 아니다. 예술가의 눈과 손은 오히려 일상의 평범한 것도 색다르게 보이게 하지 않는가. 그리하여 여행의 대상에는 수년간 마당을 지키고 있는 새하얀 목수국을 비롯해 이름 모를 풀과 곤충, 어머니가 해주셨던 계란후라이의 추억부터 지금도 종종 찍어 보내주시는 꽃사진, 마트에 진열된 싱그러운 샤인머스킷도 포함된다. 또 여기에는 매화철마다 찾아가는 하동이나 울산바위가 보이는 고성 등 정기적인 방문 장소도 그러하다. ● 중요한 것은 익숙한 풍경이나 색다른 경관 모두 장소에 대한 애정이 남다른 지오 최의 발길을 멈추게 한다는 점이다. 토포필리아(Topophilia)의 '이동 중 정지(pause in movement)'가 일어나는 순간이다. 이때 카이로스의 시간은 더 이상 흐르지 않고 머무르며 깊어진다. 여기에 시각 외에 청각과 후각의 감촉까지 스며들고, 작은 사건들까지 켜켜이 포개지면 대상에는 더욱 독특한 느낌과 정서가 덧입혀진다. 평범해 보일지라도 내면에 깊이 각인되는 가치 있는 장소로 탈바꿈하는 것이다. 이는 작가가 굳이 브라이스 캐년(Bryce Canyon)을 반복적으로 찾아가는 이유를 설명해 주는 것이기도 하다.
지오최_시선 너머, 시간이 머문 자리_캔버스에 아크릴채색_193×129cm_2025
지오최_Love of Avi Kwa Ame_캔버스에 아크릴채색_162×260cm_2024
지오최_사랑,여행 그리고 사색하다_한지에 아크릴채색, 먹_182×135cm_2025
지오최_Life and rebirth-미스테리 랜치의 기억_캔버스에 아크릴채색_117×91cm_2024
한지에 그린 「동트는 브라이스 캐년」과 캔버스에 그린 「한밤의 환상곡」은 한 장소를 유사한 구도로 그리고 있지만 분위기와 정서에서는 확연한 차이가 난다. 물론 사용한 재료와 시간대부터가 다르기 때문이기도 하지만, 그곳이 반복된 방문과 관찰, 해석을 통해 의미가 축적된 장소, 곧 시간의 층위가 쌓인 공간으로 변모했음을 보여준다. ● 「동트는 브라이스 캐년」이 현장에서 마주한 찬란하고 장엄한 아침의 분위기를 여실히 담아내고 있다면, 「한밤의 환상곡」은 브라이스 캐년의 밤 풍경에서 받은 인상과 감동을 작업실에서 곱씹어 풀어낸 것이다. 마치 군중처럼 표현된 후두(hoodoo)는 오랜 시간을 견뎌온 바위 안에 응축된 생명력을 표출하고자 불꽃이 피어오르는 모습으로 표현되었다. 하늘로 리드미컬하게 올라가는 불꽃이 은하수와 함께 환상적인 분위기를 더욱 고조시키며 마치 한 편의 환상곡(fantasy)을 연주하는 듯하다. 전자가 흘러가는 시간 속에서 잠시 숨을 고르며 담아낸 장면이라면, 후자는 좀 더 숙성된 카이로스의 시간에서 길어 올리고, 덧붙이며, 재조합한 사의적 풍경이라 하겠다.
지오최_My dream,My prayer_캔버스에 아크릴채색_162×260cm_2023
지오최_사랑하는 사람을 위한 기도-제주도_캔버스에 아크릴채색, 스와로브스키_112×162cm_2024
지오최_추억을 감춘 리본 선인장_캔버스에 아크릴채색_111×111cm_2025
지오최_Angels of Goblin vallery_캔버스에 아크릴채색_162×130cm_2024
사실 지오 최는 대상을 스케치하는 단계, 즉 현실의 시간에서는 처음부터 관념적으로 바라보는 것을 경계하고자 오히려 날 선 시선으로 대상에 대한 치열한 관찰을 시도한다. 그러나 작업실에서 이것이 담긴 스케치북을 펼치면서 또 다른 여행이 시작된다. 바위 하나하나의 시선으로 자연이 보이는 물아일체의 경험을 토대로 작가의 자유로운 상상력을 덧입혀 자연의 강인한 생명력과 신비를 드러내는 것이다. ● 조슈아(joshua) 트리 역시 이러한 작업이 형태 너머의 감각에서 비롯되었음을 보여준다. 두 팔을 벌려 기도하는 여호수아(예수)의 모습을 닮은 조슈아 트리는, 척박한 사막에서 불에 탔음에도 여전히 꼿꼿하게 서 있는 모습으로 작가에게 깊은 인상을 남겼다. 이에 그저 죽은 나무에 불과할지라도 작품에서만큼은 자존감 있는 주인공으로 재탄생될 수 있었다. 또 매년 봄이면 반가이 맞아주는 하동 매화도 이번에는 성숙한 여인의 모습으로 거듭났다. 크로노스와 카이로스의 시간 속에서 늘 변화하는 예술가의 심상이 온전히 반영된 것이다.
지오최_동트는 브라이스캐년_한지에 아크릴채색_60×138cm_2024
지오최_마를린 먼로룰 사랑하는 매화_캔버스에 아크릴채색, 스와로브스키_97×97cm_2023
지오최_숲속의 향연-미스테리 렌치의 추억_캔버스에 아크릴채색_91×116cm_2025
지오최_행복한 동행-Banff_캔버스에 아크릴채색_111×111cm_2025
이처럼 지오 최는 크로노스의 시간 속을 여행하지만, 그 여정의 정점은 언제나 카이로스의 순간에 있다. 결국 사실과 사의의 사이에 존재하는 수많은 결들이 그 간극을 불투명하게 만들지만, 지오 최의 작업은 바로 그 미묘한 틈을 가로지르며 태어나는 것이다. 투명하지 않은 시간이지만 감정의 필터를 통과한 대상은 시간 속 감정과 상상이 중첩된 세계에서 빛을 받아 탄생한다. ● 우리의 정신은 대상 앞에 멈춰 설 때, 시공간을 넘어 자유롭게 여행한다. 지금은 지오 최의 작품 앞에서 멈추어 카이로스의 여행을 떠날 시간이다. ■ 김남윤
지오최_네개의 오렌지색 나무- 엔트라다의 기억_한지에 아크릴채색_60.5×140.5cm_2025
지오최_꿈 속의 정원_한지에 아크릴채색, 먹_73×91cm_2023
지오최_벌판 위의 군상_캔버스에 아크릴채색_60.5×60.5cm_2025
Opaque Times: Jioh Choi's Journey through Kairos ● Jioh Choi is on a journey—still today. Seated in her studio for long hours, she revisits what her eyes and heart have absorbed, unfolding it across the canvas in an introspective journey. Yet this is not a voyage through Chronos, the linear time, but through 'opaque time'—a realm where memories, thoughts, and emotions are layered and interwoven. At its core, Choi's practice is the act of retrieving and visualizing those vivid subjects that rise to the surface of Kairos—time rich with accumulated memory and meaning. ● That said, Choi frequently embarks on actual journeys as well. The works in this exhibition draw from her residencies across ten national parks in Nevada and Utah last year, as well as visits to Canada, Jeju Island, Geoje, and most recently Shanxi Province in China. The specificity of each place is imprinted deeply in her work. ● However, it would be misleading to say that she seeks out landscapes deliberately. The artist's eye and hand often find the extraordinary in the ordinary. Thus, the scope of her travels includes a white hydrangea that has stood for years in her yard, unknown grasses and insects, the memory of her mother's fried eggs, and even the freshness of Shine Muscats on a supermarket shelf. Regular destinations like Hadong in plum blossom season or Goseong, where Ulsanbawi Rock comes into view, are also part of this journey. ● What truly matters is that both familiar and unfamiliar scenes evoke a profound affection for place that halts Choi in her tracks. This moment of pause—what geographer Yi-Fu Tuan called a "pause in movement" of topophilia—marks a suspension of Chronos. Time lingers and deepens. When sensory layers like sound and scent embed themselves alongside minor events, the subject gains a singular presence. Even seemingly mundane locations are transformed into deeply imprinted spaces. This also explains why the artist has repeatedly returned to Bryce Canyon. ● Her works Bryce Canyon at Dawn, rendered on hanji, and Midnight Fantasia, painted on canvas, portray the same location from similar perspectives but evoke contrasting moods. The differences stem not only from materials or time of day, but from the strata of memory and experience accrued over time, transforming the significance of the subject. The former captures the radiant majesty of a morning encounter on-site, while the latter reinterprets the impression of a nighttime canyon landscape, contemplated and reimagined in the studio. The hoodoos, shaped like a crowd, flare up like flames—conveying a vibrant life force condensed within ancient rock. These flames soar rhythmically into the sky, blending with the Milky Way to perform a nocturnal fantasia. If the former image is a fleeting breath caught in Chronos, the latter is a reassembled poetic landscape drawn from the matured depths of Kairos. ● In the sketching stage, Choi closely observes her subjects with a sharp, analytical gaze to avoid conceptual interpretations. But back in her studio, she opens her sketchbook and sets out on another journey—recalling moments of unity with nature from the rock's perspective and reflecting the resilience and mystery of the natural world. ● Her Joshua Tree series was also born from a quiet moment of introspection, revisiting the trajectory of her life. The tree, reminiscent of a praying Jesus or the biblical Joshua with arms outstretched, left a strong impression on the artist. Burnt yet still standing tall in the harsh desert, it reappears in her work not as a lifeless form but as a self-possessed protagonist. Similarly, the plum blossoms in Hadong, which she greets every spring, emerge this time as a mature, womanly figure—another reflection of Choi's evolving inner world shaped by both Chronos and Kairos. ● In this way, Jioh Choi journeys through Chronos, but the pinnacle of her travels is always encountered within a moment of Kairos. The myriad textures between realism (sasaeng) and lyrical expression (sayi), between fleeting on-site moments and the layered time of the studio, blur the boundaries of perception. Yet Choi's art emerges precisely from within these delicate spaces. The subjects, filtered through these dense layers, are reborn on the canvas with a transparent glow. Now, it is our turn to follow that light—and take a step into the realm of Kairos. ■ Kim Namyoon
원문 출처: 네오룩
English
Opaque Times: A Journey Paused in Kairos ● Jioh Choi is on a journey, even today. Seated in her studio for long hours, she revisits what her eyes and heart have absorbed, unfolding it across the canvas in an introspective journey. Yet this is not a voyage through Chronos, the linear time, but through 'opaque time'—a realm where memories and emotions are layered and interwoven. Choi's practice is, at its core, the act of retrieving and visualizing those vivid subjects that rise to the surface of Kairos—time rich with accumulated memory and meaning. ● That said, Choi frequently embarks on actual journeys as well. The works in this exhibition draw from her residencies across ten national parks in Nevada and Utah last year, as well as visits to Canada, Jeju Island, Geoje, and most recently Shanxi Province in China. The specificity of each place is imprinted deeply in her work.
Jioh Choi_The Dream Harmony_Acrylic on Hanji, Ink_128×79cm_2025Jioh Choi_Moments Unclear, Forever Blooming_Acrylic on Canvas_193×129cm_2025Jioh Choi_Midnight Fantasia I - Bryce Canyon_Acrylic on Canvas_130×324cm_2024Jioh Choi_Midnight Fantasia III - Capitol Reef_Acrylic on Hanji, Ink_60.5×140.5cm_2025
However, it would be misleading to say that Choi deliberately seeks out 'picturesque landscapes.' The artist's eye and hand often find the extraordinary in the ordinary. Thus, the scope of her travels includes a white hydrangea that has stood for years in her yard, unknown grasses and insects, the memory of her mother's fried eggs, and even the freshness of Shine Muscats on a supermarket shelf. Regular destinations like Hadong in plum blossom season or Goseong, where Ulsanbawi Rock comes into view, are also part of this journey. ● What truly matters is that both familiar and unfamiliar scenes evoke a profound affection for place that halts Choi in her tracks. This is the moment of "pause in movement" in topophilia. At this point, Kairos no longer flows but lingers and deepens. When sensory layers like sound and scent embed themselves alongside minor events, the subject gains a singular presence. Even seemingly mundane locations are transformed into deeply imprinted, valuable spaces. This also explains why the artist has repeatedly returned to Bryce Canyon.
Jioh Choi_Beyond the Gaze, Where Time Lingers_Acrylic on Canvas_193×129cm_2025Jioh Choi_Love of Avi Kwa Ame_Acrylic on Canvas_162×260cm_2024Jioh Choi_Love, Travel, and Contemplation_Acrylic on Hanji, Ink_182×135cm_2025Jioh Choi_Life and Rebirth - Memory of Mystery Ranch_Acrylic on Canvas_117×91cm_2024
Her works, 「Bryce Canyon at Dawn」 rendered on hanji, and 「Midnight Fantasia」 painted on canvas, portray the same location from similar perspectives but evoke contrasting moods. The differences stem not only from materials or time of day, but from the strata of memory and experience accrued over time, transforming the significance of the subject. ● While 「Bryce Canyon at Dawn」 captures the radiant majesty of a morning encounter on-site, 「Midnight Fantasia」 reinterprets the impression of a nighttime canyon landscape, contemplated and reimagined in the studio. The hoodoos, expressed like a crowd, flare up like flames to convey the condensed vitality within rocks that have endured for ages. The flames rhythmically ascending into the sky, along with the Milky Way, heighten the fantastical atmosphere, as if performing a fantasy. If the former is a scene captured in a moment of pause within flowing time, the latter is a more ripened, subjective landscape drawn from Kairos, with additions and recombinations.
Jioh Choi_My Dream, My Prayer_Acrylic on Canvas_162×260cm_2023Jioh Choi_Prayer for a Loved One - Jeju Island_Acrylic on Canvas, Swarovski_112×162cm_2024Jioh Choi_Ribbon Cactus Hiding Memories_Acrylic on Canvas_111×111cm_2025Jioh Choi_Angels of Goblin Valley_Acrylic on Canvas_162×130cm_2024
In fact, in the sketching phase, that is, in the time of reality, Jioh Choi attempts intense observation of the subject with a sharp gaze, precisely to avoid an initially conceptual view. However, when she opens her sketchbook containing these observations in her studio, another journey begins. Based on the experience of unity with nature, where nature is seen through the eyes of each rock, the artist adds her free imagination to reveal nature's strong vitality and mystery. ● The Joshua tree also demonstrates that this work originates from a sense beyond form. Resembling Joshua (Jesus) praying with outstretched arms, the Joshua tree left a deep impression on the artist by standing tall despite being burned in the harsh desert. Thus, even if it was merely a dead tree, it could be reborn as a dignified protagonist in her work. Also, the Hadong plum blossoms, which greet her every spring, have now transformed into the figure of a mature woman. This fully reflects the artist's ever-changing psyche within Chronos and Kairos.
Jioh Choi_Bryce Canyon at Dawn_Acrylic on Hanji_60×138cm_2024Jioh Choi_Plum Blossom Loving Marilyn Monroe_Acrylic on Canvas, Swarovski_97×97cm_2023Jioh Choi_Feast in the Forest - Memory of Mystery Ranch_Acrylic on Canvas_91×116cm_2025Jioh Choi_Happy Companionship - Banff_Acrylic on Canvas_111×111cm_2025
In this way, Jioh Choi travels through Chronos, but the culmination of her journey is always in the moment of Kairos. Ultimately, the myriad textures existing between fact and interpretation make that gap opaque, but Choi's work is born precisely by traversing that subtle space. Though the time is opaque, the subject, having passed through an emotional filter, is born from a world where emotions and imagination are layered within time, receiving light. ● Our minds, when paused before an object, travel freely beyond space and time. Now is the time to pause before Jioh Choi's work and embark on a journey of Kairos. ■ Kim Nam-yoon
Jioh Choi_Four Orange Trees - Memory of Entrada_Acrylic on Hanji_60.5×140.5cm_2025Jioh Choi_Garden in a Dream_Acrylic on Hanji, Ink_73×91cm_2023Jioh Choi_Figures on the Field_Acrylic on Canvas_60.5×60.5cm_2025
Opaque Times: Jioh Choi's Journey through Kairos ● Jioh Choi is on a journey—still today. Seated in her studio for long hours, she revisits what her eyes and heart have absorbed, unfolding it across the canvas in an introspective journey. Yet this is not a voyage through Chronos, the linear time, but through 'opaque time'—a realm where memories, thoughts, and emotions are layered and interwoven. At its core, Choi's practice is the act of retrieving and visualizing those vivid subjects that rise to the surface of Kairos—time rich with accumulated memory and meaning. ● That said, Choi frequently embarks on actual journeys as well. The works in this exhibition draw from her residencies across ten national parks in Nevada and Utah last year, as well as visits to Canada, Jeju Island, Geoje, and most recently Shanxi Province in China. The specificity of each place is imprinted deeply in her work. ● However, it would be misleading to say that she seeks out landscapes deliberately. The artist's eye and hand often find the extraordinary in the ordinary. Thus, the scope of her travels includes a white hydrangea that has stood for years in her yard, unknown grasses and insects, the memory of her mother's fried eggs, and even the freshness of Shine Muscats on a supermarket shelf. Regular destinations like Hadong in plum blossom season or Goseong, where Ulsanbawi Rock comes into view, are also part of this journey. ● What truly matters is that both familiar and unfamiliar scenes evoke a profound affection for place that halts Choi in her tracks. This moment of pause—what geographer Yi-Fu Tuan called a "pause in movement" of topophilia—marks a suspension of Chronos. Time lingers and deepens. When sensory layers like sound and scent embed themselves alongside minor events, the subject gains a singular presence. Even seemingly mundane locations are transformed into deeply imprinted spaces. This also explains why the artist has repeatedly returned to Bryce Canyon. ● Her works Bryce Canyon at Dawn, rendered on hanji, and Midnight Fantasia, painted on canvas, portray the same location from similar perspectives but evoke contrasting moods. The differences stem not only from materials or time of day, but from the strata of memory and experience accrued over time, transforming the significance of the subject. The former captures the radiant majesty of a morning encounter on-site, while the latter reinterprets the impression of a nighttime canyon landscape, contemplated and reimagined in the studio. The hoodoos, shaped like a crowd, flare up like flames—convey