Jungkee Sohn's art enables us to profoundly experience the core of solitude through depictions of a solitary human amidst expansive nature. He considers the question of “how to live” the most essential theme of life, emphasizing that this reflection should be focused inward rather than outward.
Sohn emphasizes that this phase of voluntary solitude is not isolation but an opportunity for self-reflection and life assessment. When we stand before a landscape where the sky appears at our feet, or gaze into water at a deserted lakeside where even the wind has fallen silent, we uncover new worlds and aspects of ourselves that conventional eyes might miss. This unfamiliar scenery, revealed only when we let go of purpose and efficiency, becomes the initial scene where we release life's burdens.
Sohn's paintings transcend simple landscape representations, illustrating a journey into the depths of the inner self. They express feelings of encountering the familiar as strange, unfulfilled desires, and the confusion and disappointment felt between the true self and the self; one hopes to become. This process resembles a rite of passage toward self-awareness. The artist embraces these internal struggles, reflecting on them and capturing the nuanced emotion of solitude on the peaceful canvas.
