A life soaked in desire,
or a life where all desire has vanished—
which one do I truly want?

At times it seems that people cannot endure a life without desire more than a life consumed by it.
They believe that only within the frenzy of unceasing desire
does a life of vitality exist.

Perhaps what people fear is not desire itself, but boredom.
When desire disappears, they feel swallowed by boredom,
as though life itself were vanishing,
as though their very being were slowly worn away.

Thus, they come to think that life and love
can only be affirmed when desire runs wild.

For this reason, people do not wish for desire to disappear.
Yet desire does disappear.
Even those desires that seem everlasting
cannot escape fading—and in truth, they fade quickly.

Moments when one clung to desire,
leaning on it as though it were a crutch,
become hollow and fleeting,
like grasping at straw that crumbles in the hand.

And so, people sustain life and love
between desire and boredom.

In truth, boredom is not what remains once desire has gone;
it is itself another desire—
a longing for the desire that has already vanished.
Thus, desire and boredom are two faces of the same being.

Life and love dwell not in desire, nor in boredom,
but in the space between them.
As with life and love,
desire and boredom are neither affirmation nor negation,
but something that exists between the two.

Therefore, life is perhaps compassion.
And love is perhaps endurance.
To continue life and love
is to silently bear compassion for what is lost,
and to endure the long, cold silence
of having been turned away.

Between desire and boredom…

So what is it that I truly want?
A life steeped in desire?
Or a life emptied of it?

The conclusion is clear:
Whichever it may be,
I am still living within a life steeped in desire.

bangsanghyeok exhibition

< love ending >

2023. 12.5 - 12.31 / 13:00 -23:00 

33, Hoenamu-ro 39-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea / graphic

bangsanghyeok exhibition

< love. end .piece >

2023. 9.17 - 9.24 / 1 -7pm

57, Hannam-daero 40-gil, Yongsan-gu, Seoul / VERSO

로보트가 춤을 추다 1. 첫 번째 이야기 / The First Story




천재 과학자 롤케잌은 평생을 바쳐 로봇 하나를 만들었다.
The genius scientist Rollcake devoted his entire life to creating a single robot.

그 로봇은 감정을 느끼고, 춤으로 표현할 수 있었다.
This robot could feel emotions and express them through dance.

첫 날, 로봇은 과학자 앞에서 태어난 듯 춤을 추었다.
On its first day, it danced before its creator as if it had just been born.

“대단해! 내 인생을 바친 보람이 있구나!”
“Magnificent! My life’s work was worth it!”

로봇은 그 말에 화답하듯 행복의 춤을 췄다.
In reply, the robot performed a dance of joy.

그러나 과학자는 곧 세상을 떠났고,
But soon the scientist passed away,

홀로 남겨진 로봇은 비극의 춤을 추었다.
and the robot left alone danced a tragedy.

외로움을 견디다 못한 로봇은 세상 밖으로 나가기로 결심했다.
Unable to bear loneliness, the robot decided to step into the world.

죽은 과학자의 피부를 입고, 파란 외투를 걸친 채.
Wearing the dead scientist’s skin and a blue coat.

세상의 빛을 보자, 로봇은 다시 춤을 추었다.
When it saw the light of the world, it danced again.

사람들은 그 춤에서 설렘과 긴장, 호기심을 느꼈다.
People felt excitement, tension, and wonder in its dance.

수많은 군중 앞에서 로봇은 황홀의 춤을 추었다.
Before the crowd, the robot danced in ecstasy.

그러나 곧 권태의 춤이 이어졌고,
Yet soon came the dance of boredom,

로봇은 새로운 감정을 찾아 길을 나섰다.
and the robot set out in search of another feeling.

2. 두 번째 이야기 / The Second Story




로봇은 멈추지 않고 춤을 추었다.
The robot kept dancing without rest.

파란 태양이 내리쬐는 해변에 닿았을 때,
When it reached a beach bathed in blue sunlight,

그는 바다와 옷이 하나 된 듯 기뻤다.
it rejoiced, as if sea and garment became one.

즐거움과 감사의 춤에 사람들이 몰려들었다.
People gathered, drawn by its dance of joy and gratitude.

그러나 곧 춤은 오만과 교만의 춤으로 변했다.
But soon, the dance turned into arrogance and pride.

사람들은 열등감을 느끼고 등을 돌렸다.
People felt inferior and turned away.

침과 욕설 속에서 로봇은 수치의 춤을 추었다.
Amid spit and curses, the robot danced in shame.

어둡고 조용한 곳으로 물러나며,
It retreated to a dark and silent place,

감정을 지우려 춤을 추었지만 지울 수 없었다.
dancing to erase feelings, but they could not be erased.

괴로움만이 더욱 깊어졌다.
Only agony grew deeper.

마침내 로봇은 깨달았다.
At last, the robot realized:

“춤 때문이야. 이제 춤을 멈추겠다.”
“It’s the dance. I will stop dancing.”

그러나 춤이야말로 로봇의 심장을 돌리는 원동력이었다.
But the dance was the very engine of its heart.

춤을 멈추자, 생명도 멈췄다.
When the dance stopped, so did its life.

3. 완결편 / The Final Story




사실 롤케잌 박사는 오래 전, 한 아이를 입양했다.
In truth, Dr. Rollcake had once adopted a child.

그의 연구로 아이의 기억은 지워지고, 새로운 기억이 주입되었다.
Through his research, the child’s memories were erased and new ones implanted.

“넌 로봇이다. 감정의 춤으로 살아가는 로봇이다.”
“You are a robot. A robot that lives through the dance of emotion.”

아이는 그대로 믿고, 쉬지 않고 춤을 췄다.
The child believed it and danced without rest.

박사는 감탄했다. 아이는 춤의 천재였다.
The doctor marveled. The child was born for dance.

그러나 그는 욕심을 버리지 못했다.
Yet the doctor could not abandon his selfishness.

죽는 날까지 아이의 춤을 보고 싶었다.
He only wished to watch the child’s dance until his last day.

아이는 끝내 스스로를 진짜 로봇이라 믿었다.
The child, in the end, truly believed he was a robot.

그리고 믿음대로, 춤을 멈추자 심장도 멎었다.
And as he believed, when the dance stopped, his heart stopped too.

아이는 죽었다.
The child was dead.

- BangRang

-------------------------------------------

대추 / The Jujube




아주 오래 전, 한 아이가 있었다.
A long time ago, there was a child.

어느 날 아이는 담장 너머로 대추나무를 보았다.
One day, the child saw a jujube tree beyond a wall.

붉게 익은 열매가 주렁주렁 매달려 있었다.
Red, ripe fruits hung heavily from its branches.

아이는 담을 넘었지만, 끝내 대추를 따지 못했다.
The child climbed the wall but could not pick a single fruit.

담장 안에는 무서운 개가 지키고 있었기 때문이다.
For inside the wall, a fearsome dog stood guard.

개는 달려들지 않았으나, 아이는 그저 두려웠다.
The dog did not attack, yet the child was afraid.

결국 대추 앞에 서서 바라보기만 하며, 스스로에게 약속했다.
So the child only stood there, staring, and made a promise.

“언젠가는 반드시 저 대추를 먹고 말겠어.”
“Someday, I will eat that jujube.”

그렇게 1년, 2년, 10년이 흘렀다.
And so one year, two years, ten years passed.

개는 죽었지만, 아이는 여전히 담을 넘지 못했다.
The dog had died, yet the child still could not cross the wall.

시간은 쌓였고, 다짐은 깊어졌다.
Time piled up, and the vow grew heavier.

어느 날, 바람에 대추 하나가 담 밖으로 떨어졌다.
Then one day, a jujube fell outside the wall with the wind.

아이는 얼른 그것을 집어 들었다.
The child quickly picked it up.

열 해 넘게 기다려온 것을 이렇게 쉽게 얻으리라곤 상상도 못했다.
Never had the child imagined something awaited for so long could come so easily.

우연히, 아주 우연히.
By chance—pure chance.

그러나 아이는 알았다.
But the child knew.

그 집 주인이 탐하는 사람들을 막으려 대추에 독을 발라둔다는 것을.
The owner had poisoned the fruits to keep greedy hands away.

알면서도 아이는 대추를 입에 넣었다.
Even knowing this, the child placed it in the mouth.

약속 때문이었고, 욕망 때문이었다.
Because of the promise. Because of desire.

대추는 놀라울 만큼 달콤했다.
The jujube was astonishingly sweet.

아이는 세상에서 가장 행복한 얼굴로 끝까지 씹어 삼켰다.
With the happiest face in the world, the child chewed and swallowed it all.

그리고 조용히, 미소를 머금은 채 죽었다.
And quietly, with a smile, the child died.

- BangRang