Willing To Be Vulnerable – Metalized Balloon, 2019

The futuristic sculptures and large-scale installations created by Korean artist Lee Bul form a fantasy landscape influenced equally by utopian aspirations and failures. Fascinated by visionary architecture and humankind’s obsession with perfection, Lee Bul ultimately seeks to illustrate man’s perpetual pursuit of the unrealizable ideal. Floating in the air like a giant silver balloon, Willing to Be Vulnerable – Metalized Balloon evokes the infamous Hindenburg zeppelin. A symbol of progress and modernity in the early 20th century, its spectacular destruction and well-documented crash has penetrated popular culture and remains vibrant in our collective memory. Reflecting upon this tragic story, Lee Bul’s work investigates the intrinsic fragility that exists in any utopian attempt.

李昢 1964 年生於南韓榮州 現於南韓首爾生活及工作 230 x 230 x 1000 厘米 尼龍塔夫綢布、聚酯纖維鋁箔 、鼓風機 、電線 韓國藝術家李昢創作的大型雕塑裝置，展現未來主義的想像與夢幻般的場景，靈感源自對烏托邦的渴望與理想的幻滅。藝術家對前衛的建築及人類沉醉於追求完美的意念深深著迷，試圖透過作品闡述人類永遠在追逐一些無從實現的理想。《Willing To Be Vulnerable – Metalized Balloon》顧名思義就是巨大的銀色氣球浮在半空，外型宛如「興登堡號」災難事故中的齊柏林飛船。作為二十世紀初科技一日千里及現代化的象徵，齊柏林飛船驚心動魄的空難和記錄詳實的墜毀過程，已深入民心並成為流行文化的一部份，在我們集體記憶中至今依然歷歷在目。李昢藉着作品對這世紀悲劇作出反思，探索一切追尋烏托邦的行為，本質上帶着的脆弱性。