Jenjavanje: Jaiyun Lee & Juliana Nozomi

Pozivamo vas na otvaranje izložbe „Jenjavanje“ južnokorejskog umetnika Đejuna Lija i nemačko-japanske umetnice Julijane Nozomi, koje će se održati u četvrtak, 9. aprila, sa početkom u 19 časova.

U okviru otvaranja, umetnica Julijana Nozomi će predstaviti postavku i održati razgovor o izložbi, na engleskom jeziku.

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Julijana Nozomi i Đejun Li zadiru duboko u psihološke i emocionalne podtokove savremenog društva, koristeći medije slikarstva i filma, kako bi ispitali nevidljivu, ali razornu težinu modernog života. Njihovi radovi tematski se susreću oko mentalnog zdravlja, društvene otuđenosti i borbe pojedinca za samorazumevanje i oslobođenje unutar sistema koji podstiču konformizam, ubrzanje i izolaciju. Ideja emocionalnog pritiska koji se polako taloži i povlači prisutna je u radovima oba umetnika.

Nozomine slike ispunjene su makabričnim izrazima i crnim humorom, nudeći katarzičan, ali nelagodan uvid u internalizovane anksioznosti i depresivne tokove društva opsednutog produktivnošću, performansom i iluzijom individualizma. Slično tome, Lijevi filmovi prikazuju likove zarobljene u egzistencijalnim ciklusima poput samomržnje, emocionalne otupljenosti ili društvene odvojenosti, često kroz nadrealne ili apsurdne narative. Njegove priče, poput Krvavog Meseca ili Sola, fokusiraju se na psihološko raslojavanje pojedinca u pozadini brzog i ravnodušnog sveta, paralelno sa Nozominim vizuelnim izrazom emocionalne klaustrofobije i straha.

Oba umetnika koriste ironiju i apsurd ne da pobegnu od stvarnosti, već da joj se suprotstave direktnije. Nozomin humor probija površinu njenih intenzivnih, hororom obojenih kompozicija, dok Lijevo ironično kadriranje razotkriva tragične apsurde modernog života, naročito u hiperkompetitivnim okruženjima poput Južne Koreje. Jasan primer za to je servis za podršku osobama sa suicidalnim mislima u filmu Prikladni postupci kruženja. Ovo tematsko preklapanje otkriva zajedničku kritiku: da pod pritiscima sistemske brzine, takmičenja i otuđenja ljudske emocije nisu samo marginalizovane, već često i patologizovane.

Pored toga, oba umetnika istražuju sukob između unutrašnje želje i spoljašnjih očekivanja. Nozomini likovi deluju zarobljeno između poriva da se „oslobode” i privlačnosti sistemskog konformizma, dok se Lijevi junaci bore sa ljubavlju, povezanošću i identitetom usred društvene fragmentacije. Bilo da je reč o figuri koja se topi u apstrakciju ili protagonisti koji ne može da izgovori ništa osim „da” ili „ne”, oba umetnika prikazuju likove koji su emocionalno utišani ili dezorijentisani pred nadmoćnim sistemskim silama.

U suštini, Julijana Nozomi i Đejun Li artikulišu, u različitim formama i estetikama, iste duboko rezonantne istine: da je savremeno stanje – stanje brzine bez pravca, povezanosti bez dubine i identiteta pod opsadom. Njihovi radovi postavljaju pitanje da li postoji izlaz iz ovog ciklusa ili da li, prepoznajući njegov apsurd, možemo početi da obnavljamo humanije, ranjivije i smislenije postojanje.

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Đejun Li (1999, Seul, Republika Koreja) je južnokorejski umetnik koji je studirao Transmedijske umetnosti na Univerzitetu primenjenih umetnosti u Beču. Kroz pokretne slike, naročito film, deli svoju jedinstvenu perspektivu sveta sa publikom. Od detinjstva, stripovi i filmovi za njega su bili prozor u drugi svet. Kroz taj „prozor” video je lep, ali kontradiktoran svet pun nasilja, apsurda i neobičnosti. Posmatrajući te prozore formata 1.33:1, 2.35:1 ili 1.85:1, odrastao je sa sve jačom željom da zakorači unutra i stvori sopstveni svet.

Julijana Nozomi (1995, Minhen, Nemačka) je nemačko-japanska umetnica sa snažnim fokusom na slikarstvo, uz dodatnu praksu u instalaciji i skulpturi. Studirala je Likovne umetnosti na Akademiji umetnosti i dizajna u Štutgartu i Transmedijske umetnosti na Univerzitetu primenjenih umetnosti u Beču. Njen rad bavi se psihološkim i društvenim tenzijama ukorenjenim u strukturi savremenog života. Njene slike nude ličan, ali kritički pogled na nevidljive pritiske sa kojima se svakodnevno suočavamo, od internalizovanih anksioznosti do širih sila koje oblikuju naš rad i konformizam.

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We invite you to the opening of the exhibition “Subside” by South Korean artist Jaiyun Lee and Japanese-German artist Juliana Nozomi, taking place on Thursday, April 9, at 7 PM.

As part of the opening, the artist Juliana Nozomi will guide visitors through the exhibition, presenting the installation and giving an artist talk, in English.

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Both Juliana Nozomi and Jaiyun Lee delve deeply into the psychological and emotional undercurrents of contemporary society, using their respective mediums such as painting and film in order to explore the invisible yet crushing weight of modern life. Their works converge thematically around mental health, societal alienation, and the individual’s struggle for self-understanding and liberation within systems that promote conformity, acceleration, and isolation.

The idea of emotional pressure slowly settling and receding is inherent in the works of both artists. Nozomi’s paintings are filled with expressions of a macabre nature and dark humour, offering a cathartic yet uncomfortable look into the internalised anxieties and depressive undercurrents of a society obsessed with productivity, performance, and the illusion of individualism. Similarly, Lee’s films depict characters caught in existential cycles such as self-hatred, emotional detachment or societal disconnection. These are often illustrated through surreal or absurd narratives. His stories like Blood Moon or Solo focus on the individual’s psychological unraveling amidst the backdrop of a fast-paced, indifferent world, paralleling Nozomi’s visual expression of emotional claustrophobia and fear.

Both artists use irony and absurdity not to escape from reality, but to confront it more directly. Nozomi’s humour breaks the surface of her intense, horror-laced compositions, just as Lee’s ironic framing lays bare the tragic absurdities of modern life, particularly in hyper-competitive environments like South Korea. A clear example for such would be the suicide support service in Suitable Circularity Deeds. This thematic overlap reveals a shared critique: that under the pressures of systemic speed, competition, and alienation, human emotion is not only marginalised, but often pathologised.

Additionally, both artists explore the conflict between internal desire and external expectation. Nozomi’s figures seem trapped between the urge to “break out” and the pull of systemic conformity, while Lee’s characters wrestle with love, connection, and identity in the midst of societal fragmentation. Whether through a figure melting into abstraction of a protagonist who can’t speak more than “yes” or “no”, both artists portray characters who are emotionally muted or disoriented in the face of overwhelming systemic forces.

In essence, Juliana Nozomi and Jaiyun Lee articulate, in different forms and aesthetics, the same deeply resonant truths: that the modern condition is one of speed without direction, connection without depth, and identity under siege. Their works either ask whether there is a way out of this cycle or if, in recognising its absurdity, we might begin to reclaim a more human, vulnerable, and meaningful existence.

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Jaiyun Lee (1999 in Seoul, Republic of Korea) is an artist from South Korea and has studied Transmedia Arts at the University of applied Arts in Vienna. Through moving images, particularly film, he shares his unique perspective on the world with his audience. Since childhood, comics and films have been a window into another world for him. Through that gazing window, he saw a beautiful world full of contradictions, violence, absurdity, and strangeness. Gazing into those 1.33:1, 2.35:1, or 1.85:1 ratio windows, he grew up with a growing desire to step inside and create his own world.

Juliana Nozomi (1995 in Munich, Germany) is a German-Japanese artist with a strong focus on painting and a further practice in installation and sculpture. She has studied Fine Arts at the Academy of Art and Design in Stuttgart and Transmedia Arts at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. Her work revolves around psychological and social tensions rooted in the structure of modern life. Her paintings have a personal yet critical view on the invisible pressures we navigate daily, ranging from internalised anxieties to the bigger force shaping our labour and conformity.