Junyo Ko
Homebush Boys High School
TO EXIST AND CO-EXIST
Painting
Oil on canvas, acrylics
My body of work examines the complex tension between yearning for human connection and fear of the vulnerability that connection demands. My instinct is to retreat from intimacy yet, paradoxically, I find myself longing for the warmth and understanding of others. My work represents this push-and-pull dynamic, acknowledging that while human connection is fraught with misunderstandings and limitations, it remains a deeply rooted desire that shapes who I am and how I navigate the world.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists:Francisco de Goya, Francis Bacon, Marcel Duchamp, John Constable, Pablo Picasso, Brett Whiteley, Colin McCahon, Rupert Bunny, Amanda Penrose Hart.
Marker's Commentary
This colossal painting explores personal experience, vulnerability and anxiety, reflecting the student’s intuitive examination of humanity's complexities with a profound sense of dread. Evoking Picasso’s ‘Guernica’ and Brett Whiteley’s self-portrait with a screaming baboon, this painting’s depiction of anxiety combines contemporary nightmare images with familiar scenes. The narrative unfolds in an interior room filled with stacked paintings, tumbling drawings and postcards. Visual clues within the body of work introduce a sense of playfulness and reproductions of paintings by the ‘greats’ such as Munch, Dali and Mondrian conjure the history of artists exploring or experiencing torment.
The right section features city buildings and dark alleys, while the centre erupts with a gaping orange mouth, a distorted nose, groping hands and barred teeth, symbolising fear. Images are linked in unexpected relationships, competing for prominence. Just as the elements begin to make sense, the imagery twists, vanishes and reappears. The painting showcases vigorous mark-making and expressive techniques. Black and white sets a sombre mood, with bursts of colour providing brief relief. White linework guides the viewer through the complex composition, contrasting with dark, shadowy spaces. These lines frame airborne photos and transform into scaffolding for buildings. Spotlights and shafts of light interrogate rather than illuminate, leading us through alleyways into the unknown and psychosis. The painting's physical presence is striking. Yet, amidst the chaotic imagery, there is a sense of strength, defiance and reclaiming power from uncertainty.