TOKYO.- Spiral and MARC STRAUS Gallery New York are presenting Every Day Is A Good Day (日々是好日), a performance-based exhibition featuring live installations made on-site by contemporary artists Jong Oh and Jinsu Han. The exhibition is planned by Spiral and curated by MARC STRAUS Gallery director, Ken Tan.

The concept of the exhibition derives from the ancient proverb: “Nichi nichi kore kōnichi (日々是好日)” or “Every Day Is A Good Day”. First spoken more than a thousand years ago by Zen Master Yun Men, it is a profound meditation on living: that one’s experience of life is based on one’s perception of it. For the exhibition artists Jong Oh and Jinsu Han will each respond through their respective practices to develop installations that evolve daily throughout the exhibition.

Both Jinsu Han and Jong Oh are conceptual-based sculptors where site specificity is integral to their practice. Han creates kinetic sculptures that combine found objects and organic matter, such as flower petals. Jong Oh constructs almost imperceptible compositions with ordinary elements of string, wire and Plexiglas. While Han emphasizes movement and change, Oh focuses on the stillness and quiet. The artists’ works both oppose and complement one another.

“In Every Day Is A Good Day we’re bringing two exciting artists together to express their interpretation of this ancient koan,” comments Ken Tan, curator of the exhibition. “By responding to both site and situation, Han and Oh will be working within the beautiful spaces at SPIRAL daily to develop their evolving installations. We’re excited to see what will emerge.”

Jinsu Han (born Seoul, South Korea, 1970) is a multimedia artist from Seoul, Korea who creates kinetic sculptures that explore the poetic variations of repetition and routine. Han’s mechanized sculptures make movements that result in unique performances and immersive experiences. Han has exhibited his works at numerous international galleries in China and New York, and museums in Korea such as Sejong Center and Seoul Museum of Art, and selected for the Art Program in EXPO 2005 AICHI JAPAN. In 2018 he had his solo exhibition at MARC STRAUS, New York.

Jong Oh (born 1981, Mauritania) creates geometric sculptures suspended in space using only simple materials— fishing wire, Plexiglas, painted threads—in a carefully orchestrated balance. Responding to the architecture of the room, Oh’s compositions are made on site, making each work unique. Experience of Oh’s work involves slow looking, giving our senses time to perceive the subtle shapes. Oh earned his MFA from School of Visual Art in New York. In 2018, Oh has exhibited widely internationally: he was in a two-person exhibition in deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, in the group exhibition at Sejong Center, and Seoul Museum of Art, Korea.

For almost fifteen years, Ken Tan has been involved in all forms of creative projects across various industries. His career started in Singapore, where as a Creative Director he worked with some of the best brands: Nike, Expedia, Disney and more. He has received recognition for creative excellence from D&AD and Effies. He is now based in New York as Partner and Director at MARC STRAUS Gallery, a contemporary art gallery in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He works with some of the world’s leading artists, curators, critics and clients. Ken collects contemporary art and supports young artists. He also curates exhibitions and writes about art for the online publication Hyperallergic.