Born in South Korea in 1955, Son Seock has lived and worked in France since 1995. His work belongs to the realm of visual sensations: each movement of the viewer alters the perception of colors, shapes, and depth. His compositions, playing on subtle contrasts between foreground and background, create an illusionary effect where images seem to emerge, vanish, or even float in real space.
Inspired by the work of Eadweard Muybridge and chronophotography, Son Seock constantly develops an evolving visual language. The vertically arranged acrylic or resin slats, meticulously painted, structure the pictorial space and reveal different forms depending on the viewing angle. This optical illusion technique, combined with the use of pointillism, gives his works a kinetic and tactile dimension.
His works belong to the world of visual sensation: with every shift in position, the viewer perceives a transformation in color, form and depth. The images disappear and reappear depending on our movement, creating the impression they are escaping from the canvas to join us in the real world. The viewer becomes engaged in the artwork, captivated by the surreal effects created by the contrast between foreground and background, as well as the tactile quality achieved through pointillism.
Son Seock’s work transcends traditional painting, developing new methods while distancing itself from a world increasingly focused on digital media and photography. The vertical lines create the illusion: they are not randomly placed, but the result of a logical and mathematical approach by the artist.
The significance of the subjects—such as elephants or ceramics—is reduced; Son Seock does not depict them prominently, but introduces them as ghost-like objects. However, this minimization of the narrative does not imply a lack of meaning, rather, it allows the viewer to focus on aesthetics and the figurative.
His tactile works expose the immaterial quality of objects. By linking images with tactile backgrounds, the artist suggests a reversal of logic. When a vase disappears, the viewer becomes aware of the chaos of perception and its relativity. Son Seock thus invites his audience to explore the gap between what exists and what doesn’t, between the visible and the invisible.
His works are held in major collections, notably the Gwangju Museum of Art and the Seoul Museum of Art, reinforcing his status as a major figure on both the Korean and international art scenes.