IN SITU: Youngmin Park - Holes in the City

As part of the In Situ series, Make Room is proud to present Holes In the City, a new collection of paintings from Brooklyn-based artist Youngmin Park. These paintings capture urban life from the perspective of the smallest observer, the unbothered eyes of a fly, to separate the viewer from the business of daily life.

“I was seeking holes in the city. Holes create a space where we are set free from the spectacle, they serve as a place for rest and wandering. Therefore, ironically, they are a space that you have to actively seek out, not a given space.” - Youngmin Park

It is difficult to separate life in a city from labor. The visuals of industry are all around us. They dominate the skyline, in turn dictating the pace of our lives. Park paints smoke stacks and stoplights as symbols of urban life that separate us from natural freedom. This is portrayed through the motif of the fly, an animal that is ignorant of these forces. The fly meanders through the air, pausing and resting as it pleases.

These pieces present a calmness to the viewer. They put the beiges and greys of the city against the soft yellows and blues of an evening sky. This captures a contrast between the constraints of man-made architecture and the lightness of the atmosphere. These skylines are presented alongside stoic portraits and figures with flies replacing or obstructing their eyes. They long for respite from the constant hustle of life, while feeling guilt for this same desire.

Each work creates a hole for the viewer to see into and take a moment of contemplation. In the titular piece, Hole in the City, a red fly sits centered in space, floating in the street between two rows of houses. The fly is encircled in gray spotlighting the hole created through the structures of the city, leading to the sky and clouds in the distance. Driving home from work or an evening walk becomes a moment of stillness and beauty. Looking Inside the Buttonhole, draws the eye into the smallest holes we carry. Faces and flies look back at you through these buttons, allowing your vision to linger in the space created.

We invite you to find a place to rest, a place where you can forget about all the nonsense of the city. High above the city, inside our own sanctuary.