Trans-Art

Sewon Shin(at the age of 13) won a National art competition with a reward to study abroad.(Georgetown Preparatory School, Maryland, the United States).[3]

Sewon held two solo exhibitions(Seoul, Tokyo) while attending Georgetown Prep School.[4] At the Tokyo exhibition,[5] he introduced a new concept of installation art called Super-Individualism Art.[6]

After graduating Georgetown Prep School, he moved to the UK and majored in Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University (B.A. and M.A. in PPE).[7]

However, the unexpected and sudden passing of his father, who was a founder of the Hanol religion[8] (the religious re-establishment of the Korean national founding principle ’홍익인간’[9] based on the philosophy of spiritual acceptance of diverse spiritual culture),[10] eventually led him to return to Korea immediately after graduating from Oxford.[11]

He was obliged to take on his father’s responsibility. He attempted to transform his father’s religious foundation by integrating ‘Art and Spirituality’. He expressed the essence of the transcendental philosophy of the 'Hanol' in the form of art.[11]

After he successfully reformed the HANOL foundation, Sewon returned to his art introducing Trans-Art. Trans-Art can be considered as the elaboration of "Super-Individualism art (i.e. Trans-ego art)” which he introduced at the Tokyo exhibition.[12]

In Part 1: Optical Awakening, the artist expressed the process of ‘spiritual awakening’ in his paintings based on his own experience.[13]

In Part 2: Tasting Art, he integrated Art with Taste in order to express a glimpse of awakening through an extraordinary tasting exhibition.[14]

In Part 3: Mobile Art, he combined Technology with Art, using digital devices such as a smart-phone and applications.[15]

“Trans-Art is ‘Art’ that transcends the conventional form of art in order to express and experience the ‘formless essence of art’ which shares one and the same nature with our ‘true essence beyond form’."

In part 1, the 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.”[12]

― An indirect experience of ‘Spiritual Transcendence’ : ‘Visualization of Enlightenment and Awakening’ into Art

—  Trans-Art official website , Introduction to Trans-Art

The artist shows the dynamic process of the transformation in the creation of art with multi-dimensional perspectives that he acquired from his experience. Sewon attempts to “express the ‘enlightenment and awakening’ which is beyond ‘Form’, by using the ‘multi-dimensional method of expression’.”[16]

In the 'Optical Awakening series', he is expressing the process of ‘Ego dis-identification’: the separation of the ‘Ego-mind (artificial mental-algorithm of involuntarily constructed mind-structure)’ and ‘Consciousness (True-Nature)’.[12]

According to his own words, the artist realized that art and spirituality share one and the same nature of showing the 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’.

According to the guidance to Trans Art Part 1, the multi-dimensional expression of "Enlightenment and Awakening", can be regarded a 'Glimpse of Enlightenment' in the form of art – “the ‘Preview of the Ego dis-identification’ which entails the separation of Mind (Ego) & Consciousness (True Nature).”[17]

In the Trans-art part 1 ‘Optical Awakening series’, the Trans-artist shows the consecutive phases of the ‘Enlightenment and Awakening’ process which consists of: '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’.[18]

The Hanol Spiritual and Cultural Movement of Art is a new way of experiencing religion without direct religious participation by integrating Art and Spirituality.[19]

In commemoration of the 50th anniversary, general assembly, Hanol spiritual foundation decided to introduced the Hanol Spiritual & Cultural Art for the people from diverse spiritual backgrounds to experience the philosophy of ‘Spiritual Acceptance’ without any religious obligation.[20]

At the official request of Hanol-gyo, the artist provided his artworks for the Hanol Spiritual & Cultural Movement of Art.[21]

The art is a indirect expression of enlightenment in which people can experience the quintessence of Hanol religion and its philosophy simply by appreciating the artworks, rather than participating in a conventional form of religious activity or becoming a spiritual seeker.[22]

It presented a new possibility for the development of religious co-existence of diverse spiritual culture and structural evolution of religion by expanding the religious boundaries to include a wider perspective.[23]

His art provided the basis for the 1st and the 2nd reformation of Hanol-gyo.[24]

The Gates, which have been introduced as the signature artwork of Optical Awakening Trans-Art, is a sculpture depicting the ‘Gates of Heaven(Nirvana)’ inspired by la Porte de I'Enfer - The Gates of Hell, the unfinished masterpiece sculpture by Auguste Rodin.[22]

"While The Gates of Hell symbolize the beginning of endless suffering on the one side, it could also symbolize the end of suffering from the other side, if one could extricate himself from hell through that gate.

According to Buddha, Nirvana (ultimate transcendence, the absolute awakening) is simply the end of dukkha, the end of suffering. It means that the Gates of Hell could be the Gates of Nirvana at the same time, depending on which side of the gates that one is standing on.

— official introduction to The Gates[25]

According to the official introduction, “the artist projected what he had realized during the days of miserable agony after the sudden passing of his father. He was forced to be responsible for insurmountable amount of liability which he believed the only way out of his misery was to commit suicide. However, the painful experience helped the artist to realize the simple but profound truth which he depicted in his artwork, The Gates.[23]

The artist shows that the suchness of life and your perceived reality is a mirror that reflects you.[21] “It is when you voluntarily accept the unacceptable aspects of life, instead of resenting or giving up in the face of unacceptable reality, that what you perceived to be the Gates to hell will show its true face and turn into the Gates through which you can discover your true nature that cannot be distorted by whatever happens in your life. By giving up what makes up your ego and leaving it behind the gates, you will be left with the immutable essence that cannot be altered by form and phenomena. That immutability is your True Nature that will shine even if you let go of your dark ego.” – interview with Korean Economy[26]

The Gates series has evolved in different forms such as painting, lenticular and online art.

After the artist realized that Taste, as well as Vision, can be an effective means to show us a way into another dimension of consciousness, he attempted to integrate Art with Taste in order to express a glimpse of awakening by providing an extraordinary tasting experience.[27] The artist provides a 'once in a lifetime tasting exhibition' for an audience to experience a taste of Satori (the moment of speechless and mindless state of consciousness.)-a glimpse of your True Nature, the beauty itself.[28] [29]

In his first tasting art exhibition, he introduced opus 1 ‘Tasting Blossom’, opus 2 ‘Korean Suicide Stopper’ and opus 3 ’The Cho’.[30] [31]

The Korean Trans-Artist Team (KTAT, Phase 3) introduced the 3rd major online art project called “Evolving Art”.[32]

The Evolving Art, namely <Super O>, is online art designed to expand its features indefinitely as long as its number of participants increases. Using either the macro scale expansion method or the micro-quantum scale expansion method, it continues to evolve without limitations of time and space through an algorithm that expands in either macro direction or micro direction.[33]

The circular O-shape of <Super O> symbolizes the common denominator of L”O”VE, H”O”PE, and “O”NENESS. It also represents the necessity of mutual co-existence of the human race, which aspires to transcend all barriers such as the conflicts between religions, races, ideologies and cultures.[34]

• Sewon Shin
• Shin Jeong Yil
• Hanol-gyo

• Art of Enlightenment and Awakening (in English)
• Trans-Art (in English and Korean)
• Shin Sewon - website (in English and Korean)