Bae Joonsung Solo Exhibition "The Costume of the Painter – On the Stage...

“How fixed can an image truly be? Or can we ever be certain that we are ‘seeing’ a single image?”

Artist Bae Joonsung challenges the very premise of painting as a static surface, transforming it into a continuously shifting scene. The image before the viewer does not settle into one form but slips into multiple states as the gaze moves. This transformation goes beyond visual effect, prompting a fundamental reconsideration of how painting itself is constituted.

Bae Joonsung, on the stage - tree story, time to dive 4, oil on canvas, 91.0 × 116.8 cm, 2026

The artist employs lenticular techniques to reveal layered images. Even slight movement by the viewer produces entirely different visual outcomes, fragmenting a single image into multiple states. In this process, painting is no longer a completed result finalized by the artist. Instead, it operates as a dynamic system continuously reconfigured through viewer interaction. The position and direction of the body before the work become embedded within it, turning perception into an act of creation.

Bae Joonsung, on the stage - mountain slide, oil, spray paint, acrylic panel on canvas, 145.5 × 112.1 cm, 2025

The “The Costume of the Painter” series introduces tension by bringing historical imagery into the present. Figures and backgrounds from classical painting retain recognizable forms, yet acquire new meanings through contemporary sensibility. Here, the “costume” is not a physical garment but a layer of perception and interpretation. The act of transferring an image generates another image, and each newly formed scene anticipates further transformation.

Bae Joonsung, The Costume of the Painter – traces of D. Velázquez 1, lenticular and oil on canvas, 193.9 × 130.3 cm, 2026

“On the Stage” foregrounds the act of painting itself. Each decision produces the conditions for the next scene, forming a continuous chain of actions. Within this sequence, the image resists closure, remaining in flux rather than arriving at a fixed conclusion. Elements that appear unrelated connect loosely, while meaning refuses to converge into a single direction.

The exhibition actively expands the role of the viewer. Movement in front of the work directly generates visual change, making the act of viewing inseparable from the work’s formation. Painting extends beyond an object on the wall, becoming a scene that operates through bodily perception.

Bae Joonsung, The Costume of the Painter – at the Glyptothek 1, lenticular and oil on canvas, 227.3 × 181.8 cm, 2026

Bae Joonsung, The Costume of the Painter – traces of A. Tadema 1, lenticular and oil on canvas, 162.2 × 130.3 cm, 2026

Bae’s practice refuses to leave painting as a finished result. Within a state of ongoing change and renewal, images continue to emerge in different forms. This exhibition consolidates that process, demonstrating that painting remains a medium operating firmly in the present tense.

The solo exhibition “The Costume of the Painter – On the Stage” runs from April 30 to May 30 at Gallery Joeun.

Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press

* This article was manually prepared as a translated piece and later proofread and reviewed with the assistance of AI.