Love Letters from Hell: Seonjeong Wang

Enseoul Gallery is excited to present Love Letters from Hell, Seonjeong Wang (b. 1990 KR) ’s solo show, which explores the relationship between love and suffering. “To love is to suffer, not to love is to suffer.” The quote addresses the encompassing theme of this show - loving someone involves inevitable suffering.

The exhibition invites viewers to behold the definition of love and the caused suffering through Wang’s lens. One of the main paintings of this show, DSC00138, is inspired by the literature Inferno of the Italian writer Dante Alighieri. In his book, lust is illustrated as one of the seven deadly sins while Dante himself acknowledges the potential complicity of seperating love from lust. Wang challenges viewers with her questions - Is it possible to distinguish romantic love from misguided desire? Does the pursuit of pleasure in love deserve to be punished in hell? And is suffering an unvoidable part of loving someone?

In DSC00138 , the two figures of half angel and half demon carry out the punishment to the damned woman. The sinful woman’s hands are being burnt and fed to the dog. Not only the condemned woman but also her lover has to suffer eternal punishment in hell, seeing his love in agonising pain forever. With this painting, viewers are encouraged to re-visit the quote “to love is to suffer, not to love is to suffer”.

The peek into Wang’s other paintings sees her express another type of affection - unrequited love and sorrow. The portraits exhibit the state of longing up someone from the abyss of sorrow. The subjects feel missing in their minds and endure longing by their whole being. Wang’s practice unveils the persistence desire to be with someone we can’t be with, and pour it out onto canvases. It is excruciating, even self-destructive, to always be the one longing from a hidden place.

Wang has delved into the ironical discussion of love and pain with the use of vibrant colour tones and languid brushstrokes. Her narratives pierce through hearts of viewers but in a cheerful manner. Love letters from Hell is a daring attempt to uncover the complex relationship between love and agony.