Bae constructs paintings on a black and white picture plane that is as close to “nothingness” as possible. She uses two methods, both of them applications of line drawings. In one approach, she draws innumerable lines with charcoal or directly with her fingers on a white canvas covered with Gesso mixed with a little blue ink. The lines are joined together, forming thicker lines and planes and becoming infused with a sense of movement, pulsing with life.
They start as abstract outlines based on figure drawings, so they have an organic rhythm and are linked to connections and knots of life. Bae’s other method is to create layers of many fine, light white lines on a black cloth surface, a type of painting in which an infinite abyss spreads out in the background because of the ink holes produced by the unpainted areas. Bae constructs her paintings from single lines and the ascetic colours of black and white, stripping away all expression of emotion.
She plants her feet on the fundamentals of painting, at the opposite pole from the painting tendencies of recent years, which indulge in flamboyant application of sensual colours and novel techniques. I look forward expectantly to seeing more of the artistic vitality resulting from the sincere creative stance of this artist.