For whatever reason, I find myself drawn to straight lines, or things that are linear. Every day, under the guise of study, I continue drawing straight lines, and at times I’ve created works focused entirely on them. It might seem obvious, but in the process, I realized that even the same thing can appear completely different simply by changing the angle or position from which it is viewed. Sometimes vertical, sometimes parallel, sometimes slanted. The straight line was fluid, as if it possessed an independent will. As I continued to engage with the straight line as an abstract entity devoid of meaning, I gradually began to think this way: By stripping meaning from things, might the form itself emerge more concretely?

With these thoughts in mind, I arranged the material at home and gazed at it daily. Though it was simply untouched material after being felled, its form was supple and beautiful. While its freshness had faded, I sensed vitality and strength in its linear shape. Thus, I decided to create a linear composition following the material’s form. The black composition in this work serves both to exclude meaning and to guide the viewer’s perspective. It is a modest manipulation born of personal observation, intended to reexamine the inherent beauty and strength of the form itself.

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The bamboo used in this project had been roughly torched to prevent insect damage and stored in that state. Its surface was heavily stained, making direct painting difficult and requiring treatment. I learned there are two methods for wax removal: the wet method and the dry method. The former involves boiling the bamboo in a heated alkaline solution and wiping off the released wax; the latter involves torching the bamboo and wiping off the released oil. For this piece, I somewhat forcefully applied the dry method at home using a gas burner to treat the surface. Since the heated oil solidifies again quickly, I repeatedly applied heat briefly and wiped it off. I chose this labor-intensive and physically demanding method because, even with my limited skill, I felt that in an era where so much is instantly available, using my own hands and body to work was the most honest way to show respect for the bamboo. (W.I.)