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A Lonely Bear's Fanciful World¡G
Eddie Kang, A New Generation Korean Animamix Artist
 

Eddie Kang, with his rapid coming in the Asian art world like a modern fairy tale, has the potential to reach the top of his profession. His art exhibits the quality and characteristics pertinent to the current trend of aesthetics that belongs to the digital age.
1. Iconized language
In the 21st century digital world, expressions experience a greater possibilities and more fun. More messages are conveyed and communicated via iconized language. Kang¡¦s works, in a comic-and-animamix fashion, exhibits personified styles. Together with writings or narratives, they spontaneously form a kind of self-reflective ambiguity or a contemporary aesthetics of the myth full of uncertainty.

2. Special concern for the value of life
Under the trend of globalization, information technology opens up wider possibilities for human connections. With country boundaries increasingly blurred, people are living in a new diversified, hybrid culture that knows no limit. Today¡¦s art pays special concern to common contemporary issues like, the value of life, side-effects of progress, and harmonious coexistence. Kang particularly pays attention to the virtual social pressure and lonely individual in a digital age.

3. A Surrealism without the unconscious
A wildest metaphor of no profundity appears in the new postmodern paintings. What have been shown is not illusions, but more like an impersonalized free association of collective subject, the schizophrenic art without schizophrenia, the surrealism that neither has a manifesto and nor the avant-garde project. Kang¡¦s new painting may be characterized as ¡§the surrealism without the unconscious¡¨.

4. Myths and Adult¡¦s Fairy Tale
Myths and adult¡¦s fairy tale are in fact inseparable, especially in today¡¦s art world, it is almost impossible to place myth and art works in two different categories. Jean-Michel Basquiat, as an example, is the leading New York art figure who launches the ¡§cultural attack¡¨. Although he achieved his fame in a short time, Basquiat was able to deconstruct the vanity behind the value system of the 1980s, easily making a shift between the high and the low brow, and went on to absorb pop music elements. Likewise, a truly Asian style animamix art myth may be born in Kang¡¦s work, so let us look forwards to it.

 
Sectional¡GBy Pedro Tseng < A Lonely Bear's Fanciful World >
 
 
 
Confession II
2008¡@130 x 97cm
Acrylic, Oil Stick, Ink,
Hand-Made Doll on Canvas
Storyteller IV
2008¡@130 x 97cm
Acrylic, Ink,
Hand-Made Doll on Canvas
 
 
In the Middle of
2008¡@130 x 97cm
Acrylic, Ink,
Hand-Made Doll on Canvas
Tale of Tale
2008¡@130 x 97cm
Acrylic, Oil Stick, Ink,
Hand-Made Doll on Canvas
 
 
Versus
2008¡@162 x 130cm
Acrylic, Oil Stick on Canvas
Storyteller I
2008¡@130 x 97cm
Acrylic, Ink, Hand-Made Doll on Canvas
 
 
Letter to Myself
2008¡@130 x 97cm
Acrylic, Oil Stick, lnk on Canvas
Bubble dreams
2008¡@130 x 97cm
Acrylic, Ink, Hand-Made Doll on Canvas
 
 
Confession I
2008¡@130 x 97cm
Acrylic, Oil Stick,
Hand-Made Doll on Canvas
 
 
A Bear inside Everyone's Heart
 

27-year-old Eddie Kang has moved to the States, and then went back Korea. On the art exploring path, he has realized ¡§solitude¡¨. Can we say that it is ¡§the finding the treasure from the west¡¨? As what he said, solitude is something that everyone who lives in today¡¦s world might have felt at least once in his or her life times. As human beings, we all born alone and die alone. Like that, we begin our journey of life alone and end it alone. He strongly feels that such sense of solitude is something that is destined for everyone.

Chaos-like surfaces that he created by using pens, paints, and oil sticks portray the reality of today¡¦s society where is full of people. The lonely bear ( sometimes they are hand-made dolls, sometimes they were highlighted) represents lonely us. Although the bear appearance represents the beautiful harmony, but it also symbolizes solitary ourselves. We may share good memorable times with our loving ones such as family members, friends, and co-workers during our journey. Or, there could be someone who actually has never felt about solitude in their life time.

There is a little bear in each painting, and each little bear means a story between you and me. Perhaps he wants to compose by mentioning the bitterness, not simply about the solitude only. The bear doesn't have to be anti-restriction, the bear doesn't have to be angry, and the bear doesn't have to be fictional. Everyone has his own essence, and everyone has own identity.

 
Sectional¡GBy Michael Hsu < A Bear inside Everyone's Heart >
 
 
 
Storyteller II
2008¡@80 x 79.7cm
Acrylic, Ink, Hand-Made Doll on Canvas
In the Middle of
2008¡@45.5 x 45.5cm
Acrylic, Ink, Hand-Made Doll on Canvas
 
 
In and Out
2008¡@97 x 97cm
Acrylic, Oil Stick,
Hand-Made Doll on Canvas
Cornered II
2008¡@80 x 80cm
Acrylic, Oil Stick, Ink,
Hand-Made Doll on Canvas
 
 
Cornered II
2008¡@80 x 80cm
Acrylic, Ink, Hand-Made Doll on Canvas
Confession III
2008¡@80 x 80cm
Acrylic, Ink, Hand-Made Doll on Canvas
 
 
I am a hobbyist, so I come to check it out
 

First of all, I have to make a statement that I am not a businessman of art works. I am only used to and fond of participating, observing newfangled creations, and collecting the related products aside of my entertainment career. Since 7 or 8 years ago, I luckily have attended the solo and group exhibitions of Takashi Murakami, Yayoi Kusama, Yoshitomo Nara who have become masters nowadays in Japan. I have been to the associated cafes, read related books and catalogs, and seen the documentary films. Regardless how famous they are now, or how fresh they were in old times, I just simply ran into their world and fell in love with the talent. The art touches me, and I admire with high appreciation eventually.

I am not a prophet. I didn¡¦t care about the market when I first saw Nara and Murakami while they were rising. I simply appreciate the works! So I didn¡¦t know how flourishing and successful they were going to be! Or how were they promoted greatly and became the hottest in the market? Somehow the natural freshness has been gone for a while! Finally, I get the same feeling again. With the Korean artist, Eddie Kang¡¦s works, I feel it again! Its uniqueness contains the comic composition, wooden pattern approximation, detail emphasis, cute and personal element (such as the dolls and puppies~ The facial expression is either vigorous or static/dumb.). ¡§The force robot¡¨ is recognized as the totem obviously. ?The whole KIDULT atmosphere impresses people¡¦s eyes! Eddie¡¦s ¡§ Take art as my life and my life as art¡¨ spirit ?predicts his destination on the long creating journey. Eddie Kang makes us full of expectation and give him the best wishes.

 
Sectional¡GBy Mickey Huang < I am a hobbyist, so I come to check it out >
 
 
 
Comic-Pink Bearcup
2008¡@33 x 77cm
Acrylic,Ink on Canvas
Comic-Pink Bearcup
2008¡@33 x 77cm
Acrylic,Ink on Canvas
 
 
Comic-Pink Bearcup
2008¡@33 x 77cm
Acrylic,Ink on Canvas
Comic-Force
2008¡@33 x 77cm
Acrylic,Ink on Canvas
 
 
Reflection I
2008¡@72.5 x 116.5cm
Acrylic,Ink on Canvas
Reflection II
2008¡@72.5 x 116.5cm
Acrylic,Ink on Canvas
 
 
Storyteller III
2008¡@72.5 x 116.5cm
Acrylic, Ink, Hand-Made Doll on Canvas