Breathe in, Breathe out
2024
Wooran Foundation, Seongsu, Seoul, S. Korea
In the realm of traditional Korean music, jangdan is more than just rhythm—it is a spatial-temporal structure, shaped through the hands of percussionists on instruments like the janggu or buk. Though often defined as a rhythmic pattern, jangdan also carries an internal cycle of tension and release, a pulse that holds both tempo and nuance. Its intricacy resists easy understanding, yet its charm lies in the freedom it allows—improvisational shifts within a steady framework, shaped by the performer’s intuition and the music’s unfolding moment.
This subtle elasticity invites a kind of breathing—with the rhythm, with one another. Within its variations, musicians and listeners become one, sharing a heightened sense of presence.
As you step into this exhibition space, you are invited to move with a similar attunement. Let yourself perceive the shifting tempos of now, breathe with the rhythm of the artworks, and feel the subtle interplay between motion and stillness. Across the space, works by seven artists—Kim Jingon, Moop, Park Ji-won, Seo Minwoo, Lee Donghun, Lim Sunbin, and Tacit Group—reveal their own distinctive beats, intensities, and flows. Each piece offers a tempo, a gesture, a moment of stillness—waiting not just to be viewed, but to be met.
Here, the gallery becomes a score, and your body becomes an instrument. In the rush and resonance of Seongsu-dong’s rhythms—sometimes swift, sometimes soft—this exhibition invites you to discover your own jangdan. To move in sync with your surroundings. To meet a glance, to follow a sound, to listen to your steps echo across the floor.
Breathe. Walk. Listen. The rhythm is already here—with you.
