Born in Daejeon, Korea and the recipient of an MFA in Sculpture from Ewha Women's University in 1996, sculptor Cha Jongrye's meticulously crafted works have been featured in exhibitions and collections worldwide.
Using wood as her chosen medium, Cha constructs seamlessly intricate wooden landscapes by sanding and layering hundreds of delicate wood boards. Her process is intentionally unintentional; rather than executing a predetermined design, she allows herself to discover images in the fluidity of arranging and rearranging the uniquely hand-shaped blocks. The result is a richly textured three-dimensional canvas upon which light and shadow dance, transforming the once-recognisable wood material into entirely abstracted landscapes reminiscent of wrinkled linen, rolling sand dunes or rippling water.
Cha's ability to use texture and material to create form is epitomised in her sculptures that feature smooth knobs of various sizes that allude to fantastical lunar landscapes, or works where the surface is covered with graceful cones with finely fluted sides. According to the artist, the cone "is the first form to break through the flat surface and, at the same time, the last form that arrives at the sky."
Equally important to her own subjectivity in the creative process is the subjectivity of her audience - the freedom of the viewer to interpret her work from a unique perspective. Cha considers her work to rely on the interaction and communication between viewers and herself, and feels that a sculpture is most complete when a viewer interprets it in a way that is unique from her own understanding. Typically wall or table-mounted, Cha's sculptures form lyrical patterns that express notions of creation, infinity, and eternity.
