Photo: © Ana Maçã

The solo exhibition “Origins” by Korean artist Han Seok Hyun is currently running until November 3rd, 2016 at Asia contemporary art platform NON Berlin in Mitte, Berlin, Germany. His first exhibition in Germany “Origins” questions the boundaries of nature in regards to modern “improved” agricultural production.

“Must Be Fresh!” 2009 © Han Seok Hyun. Photo © Zo Zaryong. Courtesy of Walsh Gallery

To briefly introduce a couple of Seok Hyun’s earlier works, there is “MUST BE FRESH!!!” (2009) which took place at Walsh Gallery, Chicago, U.S., where he created and displayed series of objects resembling fresh lettuce but made of polypropylene. At the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, U.S., Seok Hyun presented “SUPER-NATURAL” (2011) where he created a large landscape made of green-coloured consumer product packages. Through his works, Seok Hyun raises questions and makes us think about environmental issues, the modern consuming culture and our relationship with nature.

“SUPER-NATURAL” 2011, 2016, MFA Boston. Courtesy of Han Seok Hyun

With technological advancement, we humans are now able to control and profit off of nature. But then again, are we all not a subject of nature? Is it not that humankind are all part of nature? Seok Hyun’s work shows how fragile our notion of the relationship between nature and human can be.