Access a slow-looking exercise related to this work.

Transcript
Marilee Talkington: The first impression of "Work 73-13" by Ha Chong-Hyun is a stark contrast of materials that evokes a bleak and somber feeling, referencing the post–Korean War urban and political landscape of 1973, when this was created. Horizontally oriented, it measures about 4 feet tall by 8 feet wide, and the artist used barbed wire to create a gridlike netting overlaying jute on a foam-covered plywood board.

Ha wrapped jute around the board much like how a traditional painted canvas is stretched over a wooden frame. Smudges of dark oil cover the entire surface of the coarsely textured jute, creating the impression of a dirty burlap sack. The foam layer between the jute and plywood creates a fleshlike surface further accentuated by the puncture points where screws entrap the barbed wire onto the board. The oil smears create a more organic effect, juxtaposed against the straight edges of the barbed-wire grid.

The barbed wire is composed of two thin metal wires twisted to create a single strand. Each strand is evenly spaced horizontally and vertically across the surface of the jute, about an inch apart, forming a grid of small squares. At each point of intersection, additional smaller pieces of wire are wrapped and cut at angles to form sharp barbs, and small metal screws pierce these intersections, affixing the wire to the board.

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