Mok-su South Korean, b. 1973

Known only as Mok-su, the artist has adopted woodcarving as a meditational practice to calm his restless mind. Trained as a classical musician, the artist had to leave music behind to support his inventor father’s business in Poland. Whilst in Poland, he taught himself to work with wood in order to make himself a classical guitar. Whilst making this first instrument, Mok-su found a sense of peace and mindfulness in the solitary practice. After returning to South Korea, he continues to work with wood. 

Concerned with the dehumanising nature of contemporary working practice, the artist cast aside his wood working machinery.Undeniably, the machine brought efficiency and productivity to modern life but the subsequent dehumanising or removal of thehuman touch affected the artist deeply. Over the last few years, Mok-su works only with hand tools. Woodcarving has become harder and slower but a more liberating experience. Within this simplified and meditative practice, he found a sense of calm, that createdspace for his books and for playing his classical guitar. Mok-su’s works find the sublime in focused human effort, that belongs in therealm of transcendence.

In close examination, countless gouge marks covering the entire body of each work of art can be seen. These marks organically growinto lines, planes to form a body and foot. Mok-su starts from a block of wood, without any planned sketch or design and meditates tobe in the moment of each carve or chip of wood, letting the works come into being. Even the smallest works take days to complete. The subtle differences within the works, hint at his pursuit of neither perfection nor imperfection. Further engaging with nature, heexperiments to create his own natural colour palette, mixing pigments taken natural materials such as charcoal, chalk, earth, indigo,herbs, seashells, Korean calligraphy ink and minerals.

Applying these to the carved wood surface, exploring the varied surface textures created by burning, brushing, rubbing, patting,polishing, scorching, scratching, tapping, using clothing, brushes, sponge, hand-made paper and tools. Often his works aremistaken for other materials like leather, marble or that they were discovered in the deep woods, drawing viewers to the wondersof the material world.