Darkroom

The Darkroom series inhabits spaces where encounter, desire, and bodily sensation reach their highest intensity. Darkness here is not simply a condition of concealment; rather, in the suspension of clear visibility, the body relinquishes its fixed contours. Perception and senses converge, and the experience slips into a suspended register in which touch, proximity, and intuition supersede sight.

Figures emerge without stability or singular definition. Bodies intertwine, boundaries dissolve, and the distinction between self and other becomes porous. This indeterminacy mirrors the emotional architecture of intimacy itself—where closeness and distance, attraction and hesitation, connection and withdrawal coexist within the same relational realm.

Yet the freedom suggested by the darkroom remains transient. The eventual return to illuminated spaces, where bodies are once again rendered legible, categorized, and subject to regulation, obliterate the momentary liberation provided by the darkness. The series traces the emergence of desire in these suspended moments and how darkness operates not as a permanent refuge, but as a threshold—an interval that provides an alternative sensory order before dissolving back into visibility.

Written by John Silvis

Installation
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Colorful, abstract illustration of multiple intertwined human figures with visible muscles and organs, set against a black background with flowers, plants, and swirling patterns.

On The Starry Night, We Drifted
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2024
200 x 250 cm

A colorful abstract painting of a parent and child figure in vibrant hues, surrounded by stylized flower shapes on a black background.

Excessive Disregard or Excessive Protection
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2024
125 x 150 cm

Colorful abstract artwork of two overlapping humanoid figures made of rainbow-colored outlines, sitting on a black surface with a background of floral patterns and black organic shapes.

We Sat With Our Backs Turned and Looked In Different Directions
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2024
130 x 140 cm

Colorful abstract artwork of multiple intertwined human-like figures in various poses against a black background, created with overlapping transparent lines and bright colors.

I was there, and I became another one
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
195 x 325 cm

A colorful abstract painting of a human face with multiple overlapping circles and shapes, set against a black background.

A Portrait of Someone
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2024
30 x 30 cm

An abstract watercolor painting of a human face with multicolored, overlapping circles and brushstrokes on a black background.

A Portrait of Someone
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2024
30 x 30 cm

Abstract watercolor painting of a human face with colorful, overlapping circular and oval shapes on a black background.

A Portrait of Someone
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2024
30 x 30 cm

Colorful abstract artwork with vibrant overlapping shapes, lines, and sprays on a black background.

What I Felt Was Darkness
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
125 x 65 cm

Colorful abstract painting with various overlapping shapes and brushstrokes on a black background.

Where Are We Headed
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
65 x 125 cm

Abstract colorful painting with various shapes and brushstrokes on a black background.

What I Felt Was Darkness
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
100 x 80 cm

Abstract artwork featuring translucent animal or insect figures, pink flowers, yellow star-shaped elements, and blue and gray lines on a black background.

What You Want Everything Is Here
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
100 x 60 cm

An abstract painting with a black background featuring various overlapping brushstrokes in gray, yellow, pink, and blue, creating a complex layered composition.
Colorful abstract artwork featuring multiple loosely sketched human faces with exaggerated features, surrounded by vibrant splashes and lines on a black background.

Everyone’s Hidden Space
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
200 x 65 cm

Complex black-and-white artwork depicting numerous intertwined human figures and skeletal structures, with some figures appearing muscular and others skeletal, surrounded by abstract organic shapes and lines.

Letter to Someone
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
200 x 65 cm

The Space In November Where They Live
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
200 x 65 cm

Abstract painting with a black background, featuring gray, yellow, pink, green, and blue brushstrokes and tangled lines.

A City Where The Dawn Air Flows
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
125 x 65 cm

An abstract black and white artwork featuring intricate, swirling, and layered organic shapes resembling flowers and plant forms.

Somewhere That Exists
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
125 x 65 cm

Colorful abstract floral artwork with black, white, pink, yellow, green, and orange elements on a dark background.

Our Day Was Long
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
125 x 65 cm

Abstract colorful painting featuring swirling shapes, splashes of vibrant colors like red, blue, green, yellow, and purple, with black and gray areas creating contrast.

Dark Room
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
60 x 60 cm

Colorful watercolor painting of a human face with abstract, overlapping shapes and colors.

Self Portrait
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
30 x 30 cm

Black and white abstract artwork with intricate lines and shapes resembling intertwined vines or machinery.

Somewhere That Exist
ink on Korean paper, 2023
30 x 30 cm

Abstract watercolor painting with colorful brushstrokes in purple, yellow, green, blue, red, and orange.

Self Portrait
Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
30 x 30 cm

Black and white abstract painting with swirling lines and shapes.

Somewhere That Exist
ink on Korean paper, 2023
30 x 30 cm

Abstract artwork featuring multiple overlapping faces drawn with black outline and highlighted with bright colors including pink, green, yellow, blue, and purple, with floral elements and a black background.

The Place Where You Stayed
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
125 x 65 cm

Abstract painting with black, gray, pink, blue, green, and yellow strokes, shapes, and lines on a black background.

The Place Where You Stayed
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
125 x 65 cm

A collage of tattoo-style line art sketches featuring iconic female characters and elements, including Wonder Woman, Harley Quinn, and decorative motifs.
Black and white artwork depicting a mythological figure with wings, a crown, and a muscular body, surrounded by intricate patterns and designs.

Time To Meet
Ink on Korean paper, 2022
53 x 41 cm

Delusion
Ink on Korean paper, 2022
28 x 17cm

Abstract artwork of layered, swirling gray and black shapes with streaks of pink, yellow, and green on a black background.

Where Can I Find You
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
65 x 60 cm

Black and white stained glass artwork of multiple children and a centaur-like figure.
An abstract, line-drawn portrait of a person's face with extended arms, drawn with colorful chalk on a black background.

Time To Meet
Ink on Korean paper, 2022
53 x 41 cm

A Night To Meet Everyone
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2022
28 x 17cm

Abstract artwork depicting various figures and objects, including a woman with glasses and large breasts, surrounded by star-like shapes and plant elements, with a dark background.

The Place Where Blue Water Flows
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
65 x 60 cm

Abstract black and white painting with swirling, overlapping shapes and lines.

A Self Portrait
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
30 x 30 cm

An abstract monochrome painting featuring swirling lines and shapes that resemble a plant or flower with petals and several tendrils extending outward.

A Self Portrait
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2023
30 x 30 cm

A detailed pattern of insects, including ants, bees, butterflies, and other small bugs, densely packed and arranged in various orientations.
A stylized illustration of a humanoid figure with large eyes and backpack, featuring intricate line patterns and glowing accents in yellow, red, and blue on a dark background.

The Space in Sepetember Where They Live
Ink on Korean paper, 2022
65 x 125 cm

Delusion
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2022
28 x 17cm

Black and white artwork depicting multiple muscular human figures in various poses among swirling lines and abstract patterns.
Graffiti artwork of a human figure with large head and stylized features, outlined in gray, with bright yellow star-shaped highlights in the eyes and surrounding the head, set against a black background.

The Space in October Where They Live
Ink on Korean paper, 2022
125 x 65 cm

Walking With The Moon
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2022
28 x 17cm

A painting of a humanoid figure with large, glowing eyes, a skeletal face, and an elongated body, standing against a dark background with yellow and red abstract shapes around it.

Walking With The Sun
Ink, Watercolor on Korean paper, 2022
28 x 17cm

Installation
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