Time, Body, and Silence
Sangghil Oh
Time-based artist | Body | Resistance | Trace | Silence
“What cannot be said—must be drawn, screamed, or scattered.”
Into the Depth of the Surface
Black ink is layered, again and again.
But it does not seep in—
it lingers on the surface.
As I cover and cover again,
sensation sinks inward,
and the surface thickens.
The deeper I try to look,
the farther it recedes.
What lies within
is the weight of vanished emotions,
pressed into place.
untitled, 2019
gesso & oriental ink with water on traditional paper, 56.4 x 30 inches
Black is not darkness—
but the gravity of gestures left behind.
untitled, 2019
gesso & oriental ink with water on traditional paper, 56.4 x 30 inches
The emotions I tried to erase only thickened—
layer upon layer.
untitled, 2019
gesso & oriental ink with water on traditional paper, 56.4 x 30 inches
Three drawings made only by hand
These three drawings were made without a brush.
I cupped ink in my palm,
scrubbed and scraped the paper
with fingertips and nails—
forcing contact between sensation and surface.
Uneven layers of gesso were applied to traditional paper,
so ink would either seep or run.
Some parts gleamed from reflected ink,
others absorbed it—dark and heavy.
What remains on the surface is
the collision of senses,
the friction of matter,
and strata of unresolved emotion.
untitled, 2019
gesso & oriental ink with water on traditional paper, 30x i56.4 inches, each
untitled, 2019
oriental ink with water on traditional paper, 56.4 x 30 inches
untitled, 2019
oriental ink with water on traditional paper, 56.4 x 30 inches
The brush no longer draws.
It presses, covers, conceals.
untitled, 2019
oriental ink with water on traditional paper, 56.4 x 30 inches
untitled, 2019
gesso, oriental ink with water on traditional paper, 56.4 x 30 inches
“Emotion doesn’t rise
—it follows gravity.”
This is less a drawing
than a sealed skin of emotion.
Covered again and again,
the feelings folded inward
—never taking form.
The painted surface speaks no words.
But within it,
pressure from sensation is tightly held.
Only when there’s no longer any desire
to draw, does the surface begin to speak
in the voice of feeling.