The Sensitive Criticism
Work Note
It is well known that, much like words, the arrangement of various symbols—what we call signs—can create context. When symbols that refer to opposing concepts are juxtaposed, they tend to blur the original meanings and evoke a strange, often unsettling emotion in the viewer.
As a designer, Sangjoon Hwang is interested in exposing contradictions through the collision of opposing ideas. The so-called “modern classic” is one such example, as are the tensions between “emotion” and “critique.”
This work combines opposing concepts such as “reason” and “emotion,” or “self” and “instinct,” while simultaneously highlighting the gaps between them. It illustrates how personal emotions or instinctive desires are translated into rational behavior within the boundaries of society.
The exhibition is organized into three categories—“Greed,” “Anger,” and “Fool”—each represented by six masks. While masks cover parts of the body, they also serve to reveal internal desires and deficiencies. In this sense, the exhibition can be seen as a solemn ritual in which one confronts oneself and feels a sense of shame, facilitated through various installations in the space.
