Seo Mira: Between Art and Life

Robert C. Morgan

The work of the artist Seo Mira is, for the most part, a balance between the concept of a painting and the materials needed to paint it. This is a common way of working, especially for artists confronting a painterly, two-dimensional surface. More often than not, Seo Mira’s concept has a spiritual dimension that requires specific materials, all carefully chosen. The method involved in her painting is a matter of transforming the function of her spiritual concept into a visual, material property wherein the painting slowly becomes defined according to its own reality.

Seo Mira incorporates her materials, such as old Korean paper, colorful threads, and handmade hemp, which add a sense of time to her artwork. These materials hold a special place in Seo's paintings; they made her artwork uniquely enriched in form and sensitivity. The old hemp especially symbolizes the hardships of the women who meticulously wove it by hand. The artist connects her paintings and drawings with the weaving of an unnamed woman from the past across time. The artist contemplated how his paintings and drawings could blend with the weaving of an unknown woman from the past across time. The artist seeks to capture the flow and beauty of time by combining her paintings and drawings with these unique materials; the parts that were drawn and those selected materials were adequately harmonized. In Mira Seo's work, these materials are arranged in collage, adding meaning and depth to her work.

Generally speaking, Seo’s paintings offer a unique perspective, which ultimately includes emotional clarity. The artist has earned a place between the past and present in relation to an openness of honest thought. In the process, she has modified these seemingly separate realms of aesthetic credibility where viewers meditate in accordance with their own thoughts. This is a reminder that while reason and emotion may appear quite different from one another, they still manage to coexist directly within the context of art and life. Without a doubt, this is where Seo’s work belongs -- between art and life, focused and fused together.

It is relatively clear that Seo Mira has had a massively productive year in 2023. The three major bodies of work she produced included Old Memories, Trace, and The Pray. Whereas Old Memories 1 and 2 might be understood as literary/abstract paintings, Trace and The Pray are clearly moved into their abstraction. These latter two series appear to reveal the most advanced departure from the work Seo has painted since her early days in Gwangju. The two largest and most literary paintings of those mentioned above are Old Memories 1 and Old Memories 2. Both paintings include rectilinear shapes that frame drawn views of nature in Korean ink and charcoal on rice paper. Both make use of sewn-dyed fabric as a support. The scale of both paintings is 105” in breadth with 71” in height.

Examples from the smaller abstract paintings include Trace 3 and Trace 5, drawn on fabric and rice paper with sewn thread and Korean ink; and Pray 1 and Pray 8, also drawn on fabric, rice paper, and sewn-dyed cloth, with Korean ink. These works follow abstract patterns that go beyond exterior associations on a more advanced level by giving attention to the relative reduction of form. For Seo Mira, these works are meant to experiment with the removal of complex associations usually given to form solely on the basis of visuality.

Her paintings are a reflection of her unique perspective on nature and her inner emotions. The dynamic energy, emotional depth, and psychological empathy are indispensable to her artistic expression. Seo's work is deeply connected to her memories, which she uses to relate to her current experiences in New York. Her paintings serve as a bridge between the past and the present, emotion and reason, and the essence of life and art through her connection with memories and global inspirations. She melds these two seemingly separate realms coherently, allowing viewers to connect with their emotions, thoughts, and experiences through the universal language of visual art.

The exhibition "SEO MIRA: CROSSING OVER (from November 10 to 20, 2023, at the Riverside Gallery in New Jersey)," curated by Soojung Hyun, featured a blend of experimental works alongside her previous nature-based paintings. Mira Seo's artistic perspective has been significantly enriched and expanded through her experience in the diverse cultures of Korea and the United States. Given her consistent pursuit of authenticity in her works, we can gain insight into what drives the artist beyond visual mediums and methods of expression. If an artist were to separate their life and art from their lifelong work, it would lose its vitality. The strength of Seo as an artist lies in the sincerity with which she weaves various life experiences into her work.

Robert C. Morgan is an international critic, writer, curator, and lecturer who lives in New York City. His essays and books have been translated into many languages, including French, Spanish, Chinese, German, Farsi, and Polish. In 2003, he was appointed Professor Emeritus in Art History at the Rochester Institute of Technology and currently teaches at the School of Visual Arts in New York. Much of his recent writing has been about artists and cultural/political issues in China and Korea, where he frequently lectures.