작업 소개

57STUDIO는 2019년 서울문화재단 최초예술지원사업에 선정되어 자체 기획한 LENZ Magazine Project를 진행하였습니다. LENZ는 텍스트를 청각과 시각으로 확장하여 새로운 해석과 감각적 접근을 제안하는 Audio Visual Magazine입니다.

이 프로젝트는 텍스트를 선정하고 이를 다양한 방식으로 해석하며, 텍스트에서 시작되는 텍스처(Text-ure)를 탐구하는 과정으로 이루어졌습니다.

두 번째 텍스처는 SBS문화재단과 국립현대미술관이 공동 운영하는 <올해의 작가상>에서 2019 올해의 작가로 선정된 이주요 작가의 프로젝트 LOVE YOUR DEPOT 입니다.

이주요 작가는 전시장에 거대한 창고를 세우며, “전시 이후 작품들은 어디로 가는가?” 라는 질문을 던집니다.이에 대해 참여 작가들과 LOVE YOUR DEPOT 멤버들, 그리고 이주요 작가가 함께 대화를 나눕니다.

이번 에피소드는 LOVE YOUR DEPOT에 입주한 엘트라바이의 박소희 작가와 이야기를 나눕니다.

57STUDIO was selected for the 2019 Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture’s First Arts Support Project and carried out the LENZ Magazine Project. LENZ is an Audio-Visual Magazine that expands text into auditory and visual forms, proposing new interpretations and sensory approaches.

This project involved selecting texts and interpreting them in various ways, exploring the texture that emerges from these texts.

The second texture comes from LOVE YOUR DEPOT, a project by artist Jewyo Rhii, who was selected as the 2019 Artist of the Year by the SBS Cultural Foundation and the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art.

Jewyo Rhii constructs a massive warehouse in the exhibition space, posing the question: “After the show, where do the works go?” A conversation unfolds among participating artists, members of LOVE YOUR DEPOT, and Jewyo Rhii about this question.

This episode features a conversation with Park So-hee, the artist from Elletravaille, who is part of the LOVE YOUR DEPOT project.

MeeJee Lee: There is a long, narrow staircase leading to the second exhibition hall of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul. As you descend this staircase and enter the entrance to Love Your Depot, large and small plants greet the visitors in a quiet and welcoming manner. These plants offer a moment of relief, easing the tense gaze and mind of those who come to see the exhibition. Among the plants, you can spot the pink Elletravaille sign. On the Love Your Depot webpage, Elletravaille is introduced as follows: “Proposing a new narrative for natural elements. Experimenting with various emotions using plants, without boundaries between classic and avant-garde, and creating new landscapes through collaboration with experts.” Reading this, I am even more curious about what Elletravaille is, and today, we will have a conversation with Elletravaille’s CEO, Park So-hee.

MeeJee Lee: Hello, CEO. Could you please greet the listeners?

Park So-hee: Hello, I’m Park So-hee, the CEO of Elletravaille.

MeeJee Lee: And today, we are joined by a long-time colleague of mine, who also has a connection with Elletravaille, Mr. Ahn Jae-young. Please say hello.

Ahn Jae-young: Hello, I’m Ahn Jae-young, balancing my work activities and freelance work.

MeeJee Lee: Nice to meet you. CEO, what does Elletravaille mean? It sounds like French.

Park So-hee: Yes, it’s indeed French. Elle means “she” and travailler means “to work,” so it translates to “she works.”

MeeJee Lee: The pronunciation sounds very soft, but the meaning is quite clear. Somehow, I feel like the name reflects your character. Could you introduce what Elletravaille does and share some of the key projects?

Park So-hee: Sure! Some of the commercial spaces that reflect the Elletravaille style include the Gentle Monster stores in Hongdae and Daegu, L’Occitane stores, Metrocity MimiMi Cafe, and Kolon Shoes Comma Boni store, where we have worked on interior landscaping and plant displays.

Ahn Jae-young: These days, when you visit stores or event spaces, it seems like using plants for space displays is becoming more common. Among them, the natural elements that Elletravaille presents seem quite unique. Are there many places like Elletravaille in Korea?

Park So-hee: There are currently a lot of companies dealing with plants, to the point that the market is saturated. However, we try to focus on creating works that truly reflect the essence of Elletravaille.

MeeJee Lee: Elletravaille is quite distinctive in that you can often see its name not only in commercial spaces but also in cultural and art projects. When did you start working on these types of projects?

Park So-hee: After obtaining my florist diploma, I naturally started working in the same field and opened an atelier. Initially, it was simply because I loved working with flowers. But I was surrounded by many great artists who inspired me, and it naturally led to my work with them. My first project was about 8 years ago at the aA Museum in Hongdae. The director there asked me to create an art piece using flowers in their basement space. During that time, I received a lot of training from the director, which allowed me to approach things from a new perspective.

MeeJee Lee: It seems the director had a big influence on you.

Park So-hee: Yes, definitely. Elletravaille is primarily a commercial business, but during my time with Elletravaille, I wanted to focus 30% of my work on art-focused projects. I’ve been collaborating with artists and doing exhibitions continuously. For the past five years, I’ve been working on exhibitions every year, thinking about the theme and creating work around it. Three years ago, I had an exhibition on furniture for plants with designer Kim Min-soo. Two years ago, I worked with a photographer, composer, and the director of a brand called “Guiturami,” and we did a publication and exhibition for the project ‘High Techno.’ Last year, I created objects using the irregular characteristics of plants in three phases at Donuimun Museum, Taegukdang, and with choreographer Lee Yang-hee’s Gejamtkunstberg.

MeeJee Lee: Was this a series?

Park So-hee: Yes, it was a series I conceptualized.

Ahn Jae-young: So you had a plan for it all.

MeeJee Lee: It seems like you had it all planned out, CEO.

Ahn Jae-young: From what I’ve heard, you have a strong interest in culture and art. It seems like this interest is also well reflected in the work of Elletravaille, right?

MeeJee Lee: In fact, when I joined the Love Your Depot project, Jewyo Rhii suggested that it would be great to have someone who works with plants involved, and he asked me to recommend someone. As soon as I heard that, the first name that came to mind was Elletravaille. How did you feel when you received this suggestion?

Park So-hee: I was happy. Elletravaille is loved by artists. First of all, Jewyo’s work a few years ago at the Namsan Arts Center, in the performance 10 Years, Please, was similar to Love Your Depot in that it dealt with how artworks are stored and how they flow over time. The value of works that take time was something that made me think differently about art. Since I’m not an art student, I’m not the type to study or analyze in that way, but that was the thought I had after seeing that performance. That’s when I first got to know Jewyo. In our first meeting, I didn’t even know if Jewyo was male or female. It was just Jewyo, and I think that was a good thing. At that time, neither of us knew much about each other, so it made it easier to talk openly about what we wanted. We could clearly express what we were good at, and that’s why the conversation flowed so well.

MeeJee Lee: Yes, I was there during the first meeting as well, and the conversation about how to incorporate plants into the exhibition was so smooth. When different collaborators come together for a project, it often takes a long time to understand each other’s perspectives, and it can be tense or even drag on. But when I was there, I immediately had a strong sense that this was going to work out well.

Ahn Jae-young: That’s right. I remember when I first met you, CEO. I felt the same way. I thought, “Are we really meeting for the first time?” The atmosphere was so good, and I still remember it. I felt so comfortable talking with you, CEO. You really made the conversation flow easily.

MeeJee Lee: That’s right. It’s really impressive. I can feel the effort from working with so many different people over the years. In that sense, I’d love to hear more about the process of the project with Jewyo Rhii. Specifically, how did you proceed?

Park So-hee: First of all, Jewyo gave the space to Elletravaille. I approached it by curating plants. For the structures for the plants, I intentionally used materials like acrylic and iron to avoid conflicting with the natural elements. I didn’t just want to display the plants, but rather create structures that could evoke the work of florists or gardeners—things like watering or repotting—so that those actions could be imagined through the installation.

Ahn Jae-young: As I listen, I think I can now express what I felt when I saw the Elletravaille installations in words. What I experienced was that the space between the plants—what I can only describe as the imagination created by that empty space—was really powerful. When I stood in front of the Elletravaille installation, I couldn’t help but keep staring at it. I’m curious, though—what were the criteria for selecting the plants?

Park So-hee: Ah, this is one of the most important approaches for me when working at Elletravaille—it’s about seeing things differently. I think it comes from my personal taste. It’s not about what the majority likes, but what I like. I believe that what I like is not necessarily different from others. I trust that belief in myself. When I go to the nursery to pick up plants, I look for the one plant that’s unique to that place. That’s what I like and take home. So, my taste influences the plants I choose. It’s about the rarity and uniqueness of my personal preferences.

MeeJee Lee: That’s right. Because of that clear perspective, I feel like I want to interpret the state with the plants together. While looking at the plants, hearing your story, I couldn’t help but think of a passage by Charles Esche that he wrote about artists and their works. He said something like, “Artists transform raw materials into something meaningful and consistent through their work. They awaken the value of things that would have been passed over or ignored.” When I think about that, it strikes me that the plants, when they were in the farm, weren’t really given much attention by people, but through your curation, they’ve now been assigned a new role in the exhibition space. Have you had a chance to discuss this exhibition with others around you? What reactions have you gotten?

Park So-hee: The reactions to the exhibition have been great. The plants placed there are indeed one-of-a-kind in this world. While there may be many of the same type, each one is unique. It could be in someone’s house, on the street, or even in a flower shop nearby. But by being in this space, and with so many people looking at them and appreciating them, I feel like these plants have become something special. Of course, these plants don’t talk to me, but they might feel uncomfortable or maybe they feel good, too. Even though it could be uncomfortable at times, I love the fact that they still stand out and show their presence. And when people come to the museum, they spend time and effort to come here. Just by visiting the museum, they awaken the existence of the plants I’ve placed here.

Ahn Jae-young: That’s right. When I was at the exhibition, the Elletravaille works installed in Love Your Depot gave me an impression of being like an oasis. To put it better, they are living objects. These living objects are packed into the very specific space of the exhibition hall, and when I encountered them, it felt like a breath of fresh air. I really appreciated that. But these plants weren’t just brought into the exhibition for decorative purposes. As you mentioned earlier, they’re proudly showing their existence. It was very endearing to me. On the other hand, though, it’s also true that once the exhibition ends, these plants won’t be able to remain in this space anymore. So, there’s a feeling of sympathy, too.