Thinking Inside the Box: Learning from Ik-Joong Kang
One of the most fascinating events in contemporary art is the annual “Forever is Now” exhibition at the Pyramids of Giza. Organised by Art D’Égypte—a consultancy dedicated to a broad range of Egyptian arts and cultural initiatives, founded by French-Egyptian curator Nadine Abdel Ghaffar—this group show brings together artists from around the world whose large-scale installations are inspired by ancient Egyptian heritage in some way. The purpose of the exhibition is to connect the past to the future, and the local to the global.
From the list of 2024 participants, the one whom I found particularly interesting was Korean-American artist Ik-Joong Kang (born 1960). His artwork “The Four Temples” involves the arrangement of four structures, reminiscent of Egyptian temples, symbolising the belief that despite the divisions and conflicts on Earth, harmony and peace can be achieved through communication and exchange. Kang has used a similar approach for projects on North and South Korean unity.
The exterior of the temples contains small colourful squares with symbols and alphabets of different languages—ancient Egyptian, contemporary Korean. The other, interior side, of the squares displays drawings by children—among them wishes for peace in Gaza.
What struck me about Kang’s installation were the squares—I found them at once very simple and impressive. I discovered that they happen to be his signature motif, and were conceived in the early 1980s when he was a student in New York City. Back then it was difficult for him to find the time to paint, as his daily routine involved working part-time for 12 hours while attending classes. Thus, he needed a solution – and found one: creating small canvases which he could carry in his pocket, hold in his palm, and work on during subway rides. This invention marked the beginning of his 3-inch works, which initially captured the essence of his daily life as a tourist—snippets of scenes, observations of interactions, and vocabulary memorisation.
I immediately connected Kang’s situation with a concept I read in the book The Infinite Game (2019) by prominent business author and speaker Simon Sinek: “In any game, there are always two currencies required to play—will and resources.” Will must come before resources—because the amassing and deployment of resources may depend on many factors beyond our control (politics, economic cycles, market fluctuations, the actions of other players, technology, weather, etc.); resources are also ultimately limited. Will, on the other hand, depends entirely on us and is in endless supply. I have always believed that truly talented artists always find ways to exercise their strong wills over whatever resources they have before them, they turn scant quantities into unique advantages (I alluded to this in my article on Covid). They will get straight to work with little. Kang successfully demonstrates this attitude.
The squares are also a splendid example of artistic invention driven through “constraints”, developed within a context of less time, less money, and few storage and logistical facilities. Several TED talks are available on this topic: “The Power of Creative Constraints” by educator Brandon Rodriguez, “The Love Affair Between Creativity and Constraint” by author and creative writing teacher Tess Callahan, and more.
Thinking inside the box pushes you forward. When you have only some money that you can spend on a task, only some time that you can devote to a task, only some ingredients and subtances that you can use on a task you get to work in a way you may not with never-ending options—for they would cause confusion and indecision.
Rodriguez asks: “Imagine you’re asked to invent something new. It could be whatever you want made from anything you choose in any shape or size. That kind of creative freedom sounds so liberating, doesn’t it? Or does it? If you’re like most people you’d be paralysed by this task. Without more guidance, where would you even begin?” He maintains that constraints are required in every field—whether art, architecture, scientific research, or business-building of any type. Constraints aren’t the boundaries of creativity, but the foundation of it.
Callahan provides three types of constraints: “form”, “material” and “incongruity”. All three are found in Kang’s work (small square, simple tile and paint, disparate letters and signs coming together). She says the “friction” of our struggle becomes the “flint”, the spark that allows us to create.
The interesting thing about constraints is that if they are not imposed upon us by our external circumstances, they can be designed by us to galvanise us. Callahan suggests if you are an artist copying a life model, imagine they can leave at any moment. Likewise, anything around you can be used to establish boundaries that will bring you out of paralysis—the combination of just three contrasting colours, inspiration derived from just five words, just one hour per day of work, the use of just manila folders…anything that is enough to motivate you without seeming like a burden.
By Tulika Bahadur
