Shin Se-won

This is a Korean name; the family name is Shin.

Shin Se-won (aka Sewon Shin/ Se Won Shin/ Shin Se Won/ Korean: 신세원, Hanja: 申世圓) is a Korean artist,[1] more specifically referred to as a Trans-Artist.[2]

He was a young innovative leader of a Korean religious foundation; his art provided a basis for the reformation of the Korean traditional religion known as Hanol-gyo. He retired from the spiritual leadership in order to introduce a new way of art called Trans-Art.[3]

Sewon was well known in his youth as a prodigious painter[4][5] until he discontinued his art and majored in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University.[6] However, the unexpected and sudden passing of his father, who was the founder of the Hanol religion[7] (the religious re-establishment of the Korean national founding principle based on the philosophy of spiritual transcendence),[8] eventually led him to return to art expressing ‘spiritual transcendence' based on his own experience.

Career

Background

His father was the founder of the Hanol religion:[12] the religious re-establishment of the Korean national founding principle based on the philosophy of spiritual transcendence, which foresaw the possibility of evolution in human consciousness from the ego-state to the transcendental(enlightened)-state, 5000 years ago.[8]

As a son of an unconventional religious leader, Sewon experienced religious prejudice and discrimination from very early on in his childhood. The child became obsessive in painting, which was his only means to escape from the mental suffering caused by unbearable religious upheaval, inevitable personal sacrifice of freedom, as well as religious discrimination.[13] Based on the refined painting skill acquired through his compulsive habit of painting, he was able to study abroad (Georgetown Preparatory School, the United States) as a reward of winning a national art competition.[14]

He held two solo exhibitions as a prodigious painter in high school,[15] but the failure to perform his new concept of installation art discouraged him in such a way that he eventually gave up his art and majored in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University.[16]

However, after the sudden passing of his father, he was obliged to take on insurmountable financial liability and the responsibility of restructuring his father's legacy, which eventually led him to return to art, expressing the sacred teachings on spiritual transcendence, not only based on his father's teachings, but from his own self-confirmation of the spiritual awakening experience.[17]

Early experience & exhibitions

Sewon Shin studied in the United States as a reward of winning 1st prize in the 28th Korean National Youth Art competition at the age of 13 (At that time, Korea was under a strict military regime and studying abroad was prohibited).[18]

He held two solo exhibitions[19] in Seoul[14] and Tokyo[15] while he was in high school.[20]

At the Tokyo exhibition, he introduced a new concept of art called 'Super-individualism art[22] (i.e. Trans-Ego art)'. In conveying Super-Individualism Art, he combined music, scent, optical illusion and time & space factors, and proposed the use of an orchestra, a train and train station and even a whole mountain in the performance of his art.[23]

Business & experience

After his attempt to use Seoul Namsan Tower to perform his new concept of installation art failed (due to city regulations), he decided to give up his art. After graduating from Georgetown Prep school,[24] instead of pursuing art, he majored in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University.[6]

However, Sewon's father had a stroke while he was attending his son's graduation at Oxford (he was hospitalized in Radcliffe Infirmary), and died a year after he was transferred to Korea.[25] Sewon gave up further studies and returned to Korea immediately.[26]

His father[7] was the founder of Hanol-gyo[27] (the religious re-establishment of the 5000 year old Korean national founding philosophy based on ‘spiritual transcendence’),[28] as well as a politician (the Presidential Candidate of the Unified Korea Party who ran for the Presidency of South Korea twice),[29] and an entrepreneur (the Chairman of the Hanon Group).[30]

After the founder died, the Hanon group and the Hanol-gyo foundation suffered critically from the Korean IMF financial crisis.[31]

As a legal descendant, Sewon inevitably took on his father’s entire responsibility and restructured the foundation. He renounced all of his inheritance and donated most of his remaining personal assets for the financial recovery.[17]

As a deputy Chairman of the Hanon Group and CEO of HI&T (a holding company), he restructured most of its subsidiary companies[32] and finalized his father’s major business initiatives,[33] including an agreement to develop one of the largest crude oil mines in Iraq (a consortium with Samsung, SK, Korean National Oil Development Corporation, where HI&T was the Managing Partner & Directing Initiator).[32] He also acquired an official agreement to develop internet-telecommunication systems[34] for the Iraqi government. (unexecuted due to the Iraq war)[35]

His business and diplomatic contributions were recognized by both the Korean and Iraqi governments:[36] on the request of the Iraqi National Assembly and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and after the approval of Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Minister’s approval),[34] he was appointed to the Honorary Consul in 2000.[37] He was very dedicated to humanitarian activities for children suffering from the war in Iraq. He supplied them with medicine[38] and his brother, Se-Yong Shin[39] established UHIC (United Help for International Children),[40] an organization which is very active in helping suffering children all over the world.[41]

In 2001, he was selected as one of ‘21 young power leaders of Korea of the 21st century' by the Seoul Economy - Financial Daily.[42]

Spiritual art & experience

After stabilizing the Hanon group, Sewon was obliged to restructure the Hanol-gyo religious foundation.[17] After assuming the leadership, he introduced the ”Art of Enlightenment and Awakening” which is the expression of the Hanol spirit in the form of art and architecture.[43] He attempted to integrate ‘art’ with ‘the spiritual teachings of Hanol principles’ in order to transform Hanol-gyo into a more liberal, flexible and innovative organization. His art provided a basis for the structural evolution of Hanol-gyo.[17]

In accordance with the founder’s last will, he succeeded in persuading the board and the Hanol spiritual committee to officially make religious conversion unnecessary and constitutionalized religious multiplicity: Hanol-gyo allows its participants and adherents to practice other religions as well.[44]

According to the guidance to Hanol-gyo, he expressed the essence of the transcendental teachings on enlightenment and awakening - the self-liberation of consciousness.[8]

"Illuminating the uncontaminated lights of Enlightenment Art could represent the quintessence of the Hanol Spirit better than a thousand books about its analysis or explanation."[45] — Hanol-gyo official website, Hanol Temples

He officially proclaimed that the symbolic function of the regional chapels of HANOL could be replaced by the “Art and Architecture of Enlightenment”,[44] and allowed particular traditional ceremonies and the formality of rituals to be substituted by a simple contemplation on the Enlightenment Art or meditation on self-awareness.[46] He attempted to transform the existing belief system by integrating ‘Art and Spirituality’. Sewon introduced the concept of 'Spiritual Audience' instead of the traditional notion of religious followers.[16]

Trans-Art

Trans-Art (also known as Trans-form Art or Transcendental Art) can be considered as the re-establishment of the 'Art and Architecture of Enlightenment and Awakening’ in a fine art form (non-religious form), based on the self-confirmation of the sacred teachings of the transcendental philosophy that he acquired;[47] and the elaboration of "Super-Individual art[23] (i.e. Trans-ego art)” which he introduced at the Tokyo exhibition.[48]

In Part 1: Multi-Dimensional artworks, the artist expresses spiritual transcendence by using the multi-dimensional perspectives that he acquired from his own personal experience of spiritual awakening.[49]

In Part 2: Tasting Art (‘The Cho’-Just Once), he integrates Art with Taste in order to express a glimpse of awakening by providing an extraordinary tasting experience.[50]

In Part 3: Mobile Art project plan (Trans-Renaissance : Trans-Dystopia), he combines Technology with Art; the audience can participate in creating lights of Universal Trinity (a form of installation art) on a global scale, thereby expressing and experiencing their collective sentiment using a smart-phone application.[51]

After Sewon Shin reformed the Hanol-gyo foundation, he resigned from all of his duties and returned to his art in order to introduce a new form of art called Trans-art.[17]

According to the official website, "Trans-Art is ‘art’ that transcends the conventional form of art: the Trans-artist attempts to express the ‘Enlightenment and Awakening’, which is beyond ‘Form’, by using the ‘multi-dimensional expression method’ that he acquired from his own experience of the ‘enlightening and awakening’ process."[52]

“After the unexpected passing of his father, he experienced absolute despair. The inability to extricate himself from the inescapable quagmire of his religious destiny forced him to suffer a serious mental breakdown. It compelled him to reach the decision to commit suicide, which seemed to be inevitable and the only choice to him then.

However, at the critical moment of self-extinction, he experienced 'Gyun-Sung:[53] a glimpse of enlightening and the following determination of unconditional surrender to the suchness of Life’, which was the beginning of the irreversible process of the ‘gradual awakening in his consciousness’.”

— Trans-Art official website, A Brief history of the Trans-Artist[13]

In Part 1 multi-dimensional approach of the ‘Awakening series’, he is expressing the process of ‘Ego dis-identification’ that he acquired from his suicidal experience, which caused the separation of the ‘Ego-mind (involuntarily accumulated mental synapse and construct of mind-structure)’ and ‘Consciousness (Original state of being or True-Nature)’, initiating the gradual awakening in his consciousness.[52]

From the enlightening experiences, he came to realize that ‘art’ and ‘spirituality’ share one and the same nature of showing a doorway into another dimension of consciousness where our ‘true essence beyond form’ is indwelling. He is expressing a glimpse of ‘enlightenment and awakening’ which is ‘beyond form’ by using the ‘form of Trans-art’.[54]

According to the guidance to Trans-Art, Trans Art Part 1, the multi-dimensional expression of "Enlightenment and Awakening", can be perceived and experienced as an indirect experience of ‘Spiritual Transcendence’ and a ‘Glimpse of Awakening’ in the form of art – “the preview of the Ego dis-identification which entails the separation of Mind (Ego) & Consciousness (True Nature)”.[55]

In his major work, the ‘Opus Awakening series’, the artist shows the consecutive stages of the ‘Enlightenment and Awakening’ process based on his own experience. The series comprises 'Awakening Dimensions', ‘Initiation of Awakening’, ‘Awakening True-Nature’, ‘Flash of Enlightening’, ‘Trans-Perceiving Ego’, ‘Dark-side of Ego’, ‘Trans-Quantum Physics of Mind’, ‘Trans-Perceiving Mental Synapse’, ‘Self-Liberation’, ‘Breaking Free’, ‘Quest for Immortality’, and ‘Trans-Perception’.[56]

Tasting-Art

Trans-Art Part 2 Tasting Art, is to express and experience a glimpse of your ‘True Nature : your inner quality which allows you to recognize beauty in the first place’ by providing an extraordinary tasting experience.[57]

The artist uses ‘taste’ as a means to express a glimpse of awakening by providing a 'once in a life time tasting exhibition' for an audience to experience the moment of speechless and mindless state of consciousness.[58] His first Tasting Art exhibition was held at the UE restaurant and cultural space, Samsungdong, Kangnamgu, Seoul, Korea, introducing opus 1 ‘Tasting Blossom’, opus 2 ‘Korean Suicide Stopper’ and opus 3 ’Pyong Yang Naeng Myeon’.[59]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 신세원 (Shin Se-won) JoongAng Ilbo people
  2. 1 2 신세원 (Shin Se-won) Chosun Ilbo people
  3. ↑ Introduction to Trans-Art, Trans-Art official website
  4. ↑ 17 year-old Genius artist’s Solo exhibition grabs attention, The Success of Sewon Shin’s Solo exhibition at Kyungin Art Gallery『Kukmin Ilbo』, August 22, 1990
  5. ↑ Art Focus: The art of Sewon Shin, a 17 year-old genius『Monthly Art World』 p.88-91, August 1990 issue
  6. 1 2 3 신세원(Shin Se-won) Naver people
  7. 1 2 "Shin Jeong Yil, the founder of Hanol-gyo". Hanol-gyo official website.
  8. 1 2 3 Hanol-gyo official website
  9. ↑ "20C 위기 21C 번영으로 한국號 젊은 피가 이끈다" 21세기 한국리더 영파워 21인. 서울경제 2001-01-01 Seoul Economic Daily <The transformation of the 20C crisis into 21C prosperity by Korean young bloods> 21 young power leaders of Korea in the 21st century, January 1st, 2001
  10. ↑ Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Iraq in Seoul Official website
  11. ↑ "History of Hanol-gyo". Hanol-gyo official website. Retrieved 2015-11-10.
  12. ↑ "Hanol-gyo" (in Korean). Doosan Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2016-03-02.
  13. 1 2 A Brief history of Trans-Artist
  14. 1 2 17세 소년 화단 데뷔 신세원군 경인미술관서 초대전 동아일보 1990-08-17 Dong-A Ilbo 17year-old teenager makes his art debut-Se Won Shin's Solo exhibition at Kyung In Art Gallery. August 17th, 1990
  15. 1 2 "In Tokyo Debut Shin Se-won To Present Fantastic Paintings" The Korea Times, July 18, 1992
  16. 1 2 History - Art of Enlightenment and Awakening official website
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 The 50th Anniversary of Hanolgyo - Spreading the Hanol spirit based on humanitarian aims Power Korea. February 2015 issue, P. 71~77
  18. ↑ The 28th National Art Competition『Youth Chosun Ilbo』, November 20, 1986.
  19. 1 2 소년화가 신세원 日 초대전 Teenage Artist Se won Shin Solo Exhibition in Japan 매일경제신문 July 13th, 1992 Maeil Business Newspaper
  20. ↑ Boy’s imaginative oil painting hit gallery row. Shin Se-won, attending high school in U.S. shows talent at Seoul exhibit. Sunday, August 26, 1990. Korea Herald
  21. ↑ High School Student Shin Displaying 50 Paintings 『Korea Times』, August 21, 1990.
  22. ↑ 현장의 작가 - 신세원 때묻지 않은 감수성의 힘 <리규화 기자,월간 미술, 1992년 8월호> An artist in the field, Se won Shin, the power of pure emotion(Journalist KyuHwaRi, Monthly Arts, Published by JoongAng Ilbo Company August 1992, Pg.102)
  23. 1 2 해외전시 신세원展 Super Individual Art (월간 아뜨리에 1992년 8월호 통권 제17호 p.68~69) Overseas Exhibition - Se Won Shin Exhibit - Super Individual Art (Monthly Atelier August 1992 issue Volume 17 p.68~69)
  24. ↑ Hanol-gyo, The successor of Hanol Spirit "benefit all in existence" (Power Korea. March 2014 issue, Pg. 64)
  25. ↑ Shin Jeong Yil, Founder of ‘Hanol-gyo’, Deceased Yonhap News, April 6th, 1999. Journalist Hee Yong Lee
  26. ↑ "집중화제 주한 이라크 명예영사 최연소 명예영사 신세원씨 이라크 정부로부터 정보통신망 구축 승인" (강동신문 2001년 1월 1일 한성민 기자) Focus Issue - Sewon Shin, the youngest diplomat, Honorary consul of Iraq, Approval by the Iraqi government to build the Internet-telecommunication network for the Iraqi Government (Kangdong Daily, January 1st, 2001, Journalist Sungmin Han)
  27. ↑ "Hanol-gyo" (in Korean). Encyclopedia Britannica online Korea. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  28. ↑ "A guidance to Hanol-gyo".
  29. ↑ "Shin Jeong-yil" (in Korean). Doosan Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  30. ↑ "Shin Jeong-yil" (in Korean). Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  31. ↑ "The continuing evolution based on Hanol Spirit, Hanol-gyo". 시사뉴스저널 2014년3월호 (Current Affairs News Journal, March 2014 issue).
  32. 1 2 주한 이라크 명예영사 신세원 HI&T 대표 이기동기자, 매경이코노미 October 11th, 2002. Maeil Business Economy. Se Won Shin, CEO of HI&T : An Honorary Consul of Iraq, Journalist Ki Dong Lee
  33. ↑ 한얼상사 이라크 진출 화제 (매일경제 11면 1997년7월3일 김선걸 기자). Hanol Trading Company’s Launch in Iraq (Daily Maeil Economy, P.11, July 3rd, 1997 Journalist Sun Gul Kim)
  34. 1 2 HI&T, 이라크국가정보망 구축..인터넷공사와 합의 한국경제. HI&T, Initiating National Internet network… consulting Internet Govt Corp (Korea Economic Daily December 14th, 2000, Journalist Deok Gil)
  35. ↑ 김신곤 기자 벤처기업, 이라크 국가정보망 구축사업 참여 영남일보 2000년 12월18일. Korean Venture: Acquiring the right to develop Iraqi telecommunication infrastructure <Young Nam Daily. December 14> Journalist Singon Kim
  36. ↑ "신세원 HI&T 사장, 이라크 통신망 구축 추진 음성백본망, 인터넷라인 등 2억불규모". Seoul Economic Daily. Se Won Shin, HI&T CEO, Honorary Consul of Iraq, Initiation of Infrastructure: The consulting rights on the Iraqi internet telecommunication system: Voice back-bone structure, internet network, etc. the $200 million (USD) budget scale. December 14th, 2000.
  37. ↑ "명예 이라크 영사로 임명 Appointment of Honorary Consul of Iraq". Hankook Ilbo. 2000-12-14.
  38. ↑ "의약품전달 신뢰복구 계기로 주한 이라크 명예총영사 신세원씨 The Restoration of National Credibility The Medical supply and humanitarian effort of the Honorary consul Shin Sewon". The Hankyoreh. 2003-04-09.
  39. ↑ Shin Seyong, Chairman of United Help for International Children
  40. ↑ 조선일보 <신세용 국제아동돕기연합 이사장> 2013년10월8일 주선영 기자. Seyong Shin, United Help for International Children’s Aid Alliance Chairman. The Chosun Ilbo October 8th, 2013. Journalist Sun Young Ju
  41. ↑ MBC 이브닝뉴스 이슈&인터뷰 국제아동돕기연합 신세용 이사장 MBC Evening News Broadcast Issue&Interview Shin Seyong, the founder of United Help for International Children UHIC. 2013-03-04
  42. ↑ "20C 위기 21C 번영으로 한국號 젊은 피가 이끈다" 21세기 한국리더 영파워 21인. Seoul Economic Daily <The transformation of the 20C crisis into 21C prosperity by Korean young bloods> 21 young power leaders of Korea in the 21st century, January 1st, 2001
  43. ↑ Han art & architecture The Art of Enlightenment and Awakening official website
  44. 1 2 Hanol-gyo Encyclopedia of Korean Culture
  45. ↑ HAN Art & HANOL Architecture - Hanol Temples
  46. ↑ A guidance to Hanol-gyo "HAN Art & HANOL Architecture"
  47. ↑ Introduction to Trans-Art 'Art of Transcendence'
  48. ↑ Super-Individual art Art of Enlightenment and Awakening official website
  49. ↑ Trans-Art official website
  50. ↑ Trans-Art Part 2 Tasting-Art shinsewon.gallery
  51. ↑ Trans-Art Part 3 Mobile Art shinsewon.gallery
  52. 1 2 Art of Transcendence - Artist Official website
  53. ↑ The Beginning of the Trans-Artist - Trans-Art official website
  54. ↑ Trans-Art: past summary - Trans-Art official website
  55. ↑ Trans-Art part 1 - Trans-Art official website
  56. ↑ Trans-Art official website
  57. ↑ "Eating Art? Tasting-Art exhibition begins on 7th". JTBC News. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2016.
  58. ↑ "Introducing Tasting-Art". tastingart.gallery. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
  59. ↑ Do you know ‘Tasting Art?’ Trans-artist exhibition begis. Dong-A Ilbo 8 November 2016.

External links

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