Donghoon Gang

The Urge To Be At Home Everywhere(2021)

Solo exhibition at Seetangraum, Jeju

01.09.21 - 17.09.21

“Philosophy is really homesickness : the urge to be at home everywhere.” The exhibition, quoted from the German poet Novalis’ sentence for its title, traces the impulsive human nature to seek something and the origin of the direction for it.

Thrown into an unknown world, humans are lost and wandering at every moment since birth, and they approach their hometown, essence, and origin to find familiarity and stability in the continuous unfamiliarity and chaos. However, sooner or later, many challenges and attempts will be made out of desire for novelty and development, which is a departure from familiarity and presupposes loss.

Therefore, another meaning of the desire to be new is already longing. To be precise, it is an objectless longing and every moment of remorse for the loss. The longing to return is not a longing for an object, but a longing based on a simple image, and that corresponding to the image is already in the past and cannot be achieved at the same time. So we know. We should find a home.

In the end, only those who will lose can move forward, and life is about moving forward even though you keep looking back and limping. I hope you can find your home and sleep well anywhere.