BASEMENT

Basement chooses to make careful observations of the world around him and a commitment to depicting the nuances of human connection. Adapting occurrences from daily life and bringing them into being, within the form of new stories and narratives.

Hi Basement! For those who are unfamiliar, who are you and what do you do?

I am Basement, who draws pictures in Busan, Korea. I observe everyday life, give meaning, and deliver messages through pictures. The name "Basement" comes from the cosy underground living room in New York that my wife experienced. She went to New York to volunteer, and she gathered with her friends at Basement every night to socialize, pray, and worship. I work under the name of "Basement" in hopes that the comfort and recovery that happened there will also happen through my work.

Walk us through your creative process when starting a new painting. How do you generate ideas and translate them into a visual concept?

The most important part of my work is finding messages. I'm a painting artist and storyteller at the same time. I want to tell people my precious values and stories through painting. So I replace scenes and objects that are observed in people's daily lives with those that contain my messages. My work is where my message starts on one side and fresh and attractive life scenes and objects run from the other and meet in the middle.

Can you talk us through your latest exhibit ‘Love Rope’ at Bluey Bluey?

I wanted to tell the most precious story to the British art fans who met me for the first time, and I thought about the story of "love." Just in time, I saw the words, " Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.- Colossians 3:14," and so what came to mind was "Rope." Rope can have a connection meaning, and it can also have a unity meaning, which binds between two or several things. I collected and transferred the metaphors of love that can be reminiscent of everyday scenes into work. I also hope that those love stories will connect me to England, where my show is shown, while working in Korea. In conclusion, it was an amazing experience that I was very grateful for and amazing to me.

How has your art changed over the years? What do you want to do next
with your art?

I first started painting as an illustrator. But when I thought I wanted to tell my stories, I moved to the canvas and began to wittily unravel and draw scenes from my life. At first, I aimed to put many objects that I was influenced by as a metaphor in one work, in contrast to the naive form and meticulously intended symbols. But at some point, I made an attempt to introduce an important message plain and firm rather than a personal metaphor that is not communicated with the audience, and I continue to make efforts. I will continue to develop works that are easy to read but can convey a strong message.

Finally, any exciting projects you can share with us coming up in 2024?

I started my first solo exhibition of the year in the U.K., but I am still preparing for two more solo exhibitions in Korea. On the one hand, I am planning to deal with the topics I wanted to expand on while preparing for this show, Love Rope, and on the other hand, I am going to introduce warm and attractive stories from the Bible that I really wanted to tell through my works. If there is any hope, I hope there will be other opportunities to introduce these works to art fans in the U.K. in the future.