Maeng Archive

 In 2012, in the then-unfamiliar city of Berlin, I was searching for a way to sustain my life through  music and movement .  Specifically, for three months from July to September of that year, I attempted a new form of work, driven by the rhythms of improvised music and Korean shamanic dance performed at various venues throughout Berlin. I recorded the process of my breathing and recovery on paper—splashing acrylic paint and capturing my physical actions with my feet. It was a daily ritual of "painting with the body." These 100 action paintings became the foundation of the archive titled  Project 4 2[sai:] 2012 .  Thirteen years later, these records have been reborn as the  ' Project-4-2-sai-2012 '  series.  To create this collection, I revisited those 100 original moments. I allowed a random algorithm to crop and rearrange the fragments into 500 new possibilities. From that chaotic pool, I personally hand-picked  30 pieces  that felt mo...

  Everyday is the Practice  is a life-long project that documents the daily practice of physical movements or musical instruments.   These individual recordings are then gradually brought together into a single, completed work. Each video captures a portion of the practice session, which is then edited at various speeds and processed with a range of visual effects.  The purpose of this project is to show that consistent daily practice can bring about positive physical and mental changes, and to create a shared understanding that such practice can add rhythm to life, providing energy and motivation.   Mosaic canvases will be released at milestones such as Days 100, 400, 900, 1600 , and more. ▶ Everyday is the Practice (EITP)

 In 2012, during my one year and nine months stay in Berlin, I performed Korean traditional shamanic Janggu music.  I collaborated with Berlin-based improvisational artists to give performances in cafes, galleries, theaters, and on the streets.  While residing specifically in the Neukölln district, I engaged in action painting. While listening to the recorded spontaneous music sessions I participated in, I spread paper—one meter wide and two meters high—on the floor, splashed it with acrylic paint, and danced over it. This process led to the creation of over 100 paintings during a three-month period, from July to September 2012.  These paintings are the result of my personal healing work, titled Project 4 2 [sai:] 2012. ‘4 2 [sai:]’ signifies the Korean word sai, which translates to 'space, distance, in-between, or relationship.' This project was an attempt to express the various tensions, conflicts, harmony, and communication arising within the relationshi...