Sewon Shin is a Trans-Artist.¹⁾

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The artist had a distinctive childhood because of his father. Sewon Shin's father was the Founder of HANOL-GYO²⁾ (the religious re-establishment of the Korean national founding principle based on the philosophy of ‘Spiritual Transcendence’,³⁾ which foresaw the possibility of the evolution in human consciousness 5000 years ago), as well as a politician (the Presidential candidate of the ‘Unified Korea Party’ who ran for the Presidency of South Korea twice), and an entrepreneur (the Chairman of Hanon Group).⁴⁾

HANOL-GYO provides teachings on 'Enlightenment and Awakening' which pursues the ‘self-liberation of consciousness’ instead of the traditional ways of religious worship.⁵⁾

 

 

His extraordinary childhood experiences as the first son, and as the lifelong witness of the founder of an unconventional religion in a conventional society (Korea was a conservative nation under a strict military regime where such an unprecedented approach to Spirituality was not easily accepted), led this young child to do whatever he could to extricate himself from the surroundings of prejudice, discrimination and lack of freedom. However, the only means to extricate himself from the reality, or rather all that he had, was the obsessive habit of painting ; painting was his only true friend and the only exit from his mind of suffering.

 

 

Fortunately, Sewon was able to study in the United States as a reward for winning the 1st prize in the Korean National Youth Art competition (1 out of pprox. 223,000 competitors) at the age of 13; he also held two solo exhibitions in Seoul, Korea and Tokyo, Japan while he was in high school.⁶⁾
At the Tokyo exhibition, he introduced a new concept of art called Super-Individualism art (which eventually developed into the Trans-Ego art).⁷⁾

 

 

However, the failure to use the ‘Seoul Namsan Tower’ to perform his installation art (due to city regulations) triggered him to change the course of his life in art and challenge the new perspectives of his life. After graduating from Georgetown Preparatory School in the United States, he moved to the United Kingdom and studied at  Oxford University majoring in PPE (received B.A. and M.A. in Politics, Philosophy and Economics).⁸⁾

 

 

Unfortunately, Sewon's father suffered a stroke while he was attending his son's graduation at Oxford University and passed away a year after he was transferred to Korea.⁹⁾ Sewon abandoned  further studies and returned to Korea to take care of his family.¹⁰⁾

 

 

In the face of the financial crisis of the Korean IMF, the absence of the founder put his father's business and the religious foundation in critical jeopardy. Sewon took on the responsibility of restructuring HANON Group and the leadership of the religious foundation out of inevitable necessity. Sewon and his family renounced all their rights to inheritance and Sewon donated most of his personal assets for the recovery.¹⁰⁾

 

 

Despite the harsh circumstances, he was quite outstanding in his business. After he successfully restructured the companies and reformed the foundation, he resigned from all official duties and returned to work as an artist.

 

 

He is introducing Trans-Art (i.e. Trans-form art, Transcendental Art): Trans-Art is a new way of art based on the sacred teachings of the transcendental philosophy that he acquired. It is the elaboration of the 'art of Enlightenment and Awakening (that he presented as a second leader of HANOL-GYO)' in pure art form.

 

 

It can also be considered as the re-establishment of Super-Individualism Art⁷⁾ which he introduced at the Tokyo exhibition when he was in high school. This time, however, the concept of his art is much more crystallized and the elaboration of profound philosophy gained through his personal experience adds crucial depth to the art.

 

 

Paradoxically, the very reason he became obsessive in art in the first place (to escape from the unbearable religious destiny), was in fact the driving force of his art and the main factor that unconsciously led him to express his desperate urge to extricate himself from the discriminated reality of Transcendental Spirituality.

 

 

He did not know that what he was trying to express was the concept of Spiritual Transcendence then, but what consistently sprouted from his subconscious led him to finally realize that what he was desperately escaping from throughout his life, was exactly what he was desperately trying to express.

 

 

Trans Art can be called the Trans-form Art: it is to transcend the form of art.
Sewon attempts to transcend the form of art and express the Enlightenment and Awakening which is beyond the form, through the Trans Art.
 

 

It is a new way of art.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the 50th anniversary, Hanol-gyo faced the major challenge of social turmoil such as the national crisis of the presidential impeachment and the North Korean nuclear missile confrontation. Especially, the religious taxation was imposed for the first time in Korean history.

 

 

In order to overcome the hardship of the conventional system and the limits of the old ways of spirituality, the board officially requested that the former leader, Sewon, help reform the organization again.

 

After accepting the responsibility of the leadership, he proposed a new way of spiritual reformation: Hanol Spiritual & Cultural Movement of Art. It is a new form of spiritual movement and a new way of experiencing religion without religious obligation by integrating Art and Spirituality.

 

 

He provided Trans-Art “Optical Awakening” artwork as a learning device for the spiritual audience of the Hanol Spiritual & Cultural Movement of Art.¹¹⁾

 

"Optical Awakening" can be regarded as an indirect experience of 'Spiritual Transcendence' and 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).

 

After the entire foundation fellows officially agreed upon the reformation at the general assembly, Hanol-gyo endorsed the Hanol Spiritual & Cultural Movement of Art, using the Optical Awakening to spread Hanol Philosophy and its spiritual teachings without direct participation of conventional religious activity or religious obligation, showing a new perspective in spiritual evolution.¹¹⁾

 

 

Trans-Art came to play a key role in the 1st and the 2nd reformations of Hanol-gyo.

 

Furthermore, Trans-Art served as a driving force of ‘Hanol spiritual and cultural movement of Art’, which can be considered as a revolutionary approach to the religious innovation by integrating art and spirituality in the face of a spiritual singularity