War Paint
Laser engraved bananas, 2011

Automatic drawing is an art-making technique that was developed by the surrealist movement, in which the artist suppresses conscious control over the creation process, allowing the subconsciousness to express itself. 

Every time I use this technique, I feel fully immersed in the moment, described by psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihály as flow, a mental state in which a person performing some kind of activity is merged in a feeling of focus, complete involvement and enjoyment, even disregarding their need for food, water and sleep.

“War Paint” is an approach to capture this ephemeral moment by engraving drawings, created with the automatic drawing technique, onto a transient medium, a banana peel, using a laser. 

While I was watching the laser engrave the banana peel, I realized that the machine also seemed to be experiencing some sort of a meditative state.

Credits:
Concept and Design: Hojin Kang
Photography: Hojin Kang
Laser supervision: Dirk Rausch