Min Woo Nam (1994) is a Korean artist who currently lives and works in London. Min Woo graduated from the London School of Economics in 2016. After graduation, he was conscripted into the Korean army and served for two years. During his service, he was stationed in South Sudan as part of the UN peacekeeping force. The unfamiliar environment there inspired him to embark on a personal exploration of the nature of existence and the notion of 'Self'. Min Woo's work has been exhibited internationally, including at the RA Summer Exhibition in 2022.
Min Woo Nam
Nocturnal Path –
Oil on linen, 170 x 170 cm, 2023
Cruising the Winter Lake (left), Nocturnal Path (right) –
RCA Degree Show Installation view
The Stages of Life - Carl Jung
The sun that is endowed with human feeling and man's limited consciousness:
In the morning, it rises from the nocturnal sea of unconsciousness and looks upon the wide, bright world which lies before it in an expanse that steadily widens the higher it climbs in the firmament. In this extension of its field of action caused by its own rising, the sun will discover its significance; it will see the attainment of the greatest possible height - the widest possible dissemination of its blessings - as its goal.
In this conviction, the sun pursues its unforeseen course to the zenith; unforeseen, because its career is unique and individual, and its culminating point could not be calculated in advance.
At the stroke of noon, the descent begins. And the descent means the reversal of all the ideas and values that were cherished in the morning. The sun falls into contradiction with itself. It is as though it should draw in its rays instead of emitting them. Light and warmth decline and are at last extinguished.
Medium:
Oil on linenSize:
170 x 170 cm
Cruising the Winter Lake –
Oil on linen, 150 x 180 cm, 2023
Lake District Winter Cruise
Medium:
Oil on linenSize:
150 x 180 cm
Night Walk I and II –
RCA Degree show installation view, 150 x 150 cm (each)
Night Walk –
Oil on canvas, 150 x 150 cm, 2023
Night Walk V –
Oil on canvas, 180 x 180 cm, 2023
Night Walk IV –
Oil on canvas, 150 x 150 cm, 2023
Medium:
Oil on canvasSize:
150 x 150 cmEnantiodromia
"Old Heraclitus, who was indeed a very great sage, discovered the most marvellous of all psychological laws: the regulative function of opposites. He called it enantiodromia, a running contrariwise, by which he meant that sooner or later everything runs into its opposite."
Enantiodromia –
Oil on canvas, 150 x 150 cm, 2022
Enantiodromia III –
Oil on canvas, 150 x 150 cm, 2022
Enantiodromia II –
Oil on linen, 100 x 100 cm, 2022
My paintings serve as conduits to realms beyond the ordinary, inviting viewers to transcend mundane experiences and delve into profound depths of existence. With meticulous precision in colour choices and brushstrokes, I strive to evoke powerful moods and create immersive experiences that capture the ever-evolving consciousness. My work guides us towards abstract and conceptual understanding and encourages viewers to embark on transformative journeys of self-reflection and profound discovery.
-Min Woo Nam, 2023