"To me, it is like a big baby," the Dutch artist said, chuckling. After months of labor pain, the heavy but colorful 14 pieces of steel, the largest indoor installation in Korea, were born. The curvy lines and abrupt balls hanging here and there are to signify the volatile, unpredictable journey of life.

Ilgen is a well-known installation artist currently based in Germany. His work can be found in many of the biggest cities of the world, such as New York, Zurich and Tokyo. "Your Long Journey" is his second work in Korea. The first one can be found in the Sindorico building in Chungcheong province.

Fre Ilgen with his installation artwork.

His work is like an installation version of Wassily Kandinsky's abstract paintings. "At every point, you will get a different view, it's like a view on life," he said, motioning the lines of the sculpture with his hand.

It is not only Kandinsky who inspired him.

"You will also realize that each piece is related to one another somehow. Everything is connected."

No doubt, this curious artist is very into Taoism and Zen-Buddhism.

"It is very interesting to think that everything is ultimately connected: me, you, this table and my work," he said.

Ilgen purposely did not name the separate pieces to emphasize how each are connected to complete a whole piece. But he encourages viewers to name the pieces freely in whatever way they want.

"For example, I gave a metaphoric name, "Story Teller," to the big sphere on the bottom," he said. "Viewers can touch it, hug it, and push their ear against it to hear what it has to say."

It was through an accidental occasion that he first encountered oriental culture. While he was in Japan making another curvy sculpture, he came across a letter of Japanese calligraphy.

"It looked similar to my work!" he said.

Seeing the unexpected common point, Ilgen was drawn into the fun work of relating western, which is his own, and Eastern culture together.

He hurriedly fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a business card holder embroidered with Korean letters.

"See this ring?" he excitedly points at a Korean letter which looks like a Roman O.

"I have rings also in my sculpture! Like this, if we look for it, we can find things we have in common, culturally."

To Ilgen, art is all about dialogue. In the case of different countries, the key is to build an inter-cultural dialogue.

"We're different, that's ok, but we have to find what's in common, in order to make dialogues.

"But schools only teach the differences of cultures he said. "Did you ever know that Kandinsky was much inspired from Asian culture? Students learn about his great works, but never get to know these details."

Ilgen mentions Arthur Schopenhaur, the great German philosopher, in the next breath.

"Not many know that he was actually very absorbed in Indian and Hindu philosophy."

He hopes that viewers will get to experience 'Your Long Journey' by themselves and understand the many cultures behind it.

"Just take a little time, walk around, and let your eyes follow. Feel free to touch them."

By Park Min-young

(claire@heraldm.com)

2008.11.21