UNJournal Lee Sung Jun | Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming every domain of the world. And the art world is no exception. AI now paints pictures, composes music, and produces videos. Many people ask whether AI can replace artists. However, that is not the true question.

 

 

Art in the AI era is becoming a time that questions the depth of the human spirit, rather than a competition of technology.

 

The media art work, 'Under the Moon' by Ryu Jae-Chun, a master of Korean ink painting, symbolically demonstrates this very point.

 

The golden moon rising within the giant screen is not merely a celestial body. Rising above the mountain range of black ink, the moon serves as a symbol of nature and humanity, time and the universe, and Eastern spiritual culture.
Although realized through digital technology, the spirit of ink painting, which has been passed down for thousands of years, lives and breathes at its core. AI can create the form of the moon, but it cannot create the human heart that prayed while gazing at it.
AI can paint mountains, but it cannot experience the world of Zen, where enlightenment was attained through mountains.
This is because the essence of art ultimately originates from the human spirit.

 

Under the Moon: A New Ink Painting Spirit in the Digital Age

 

Artist Ryu Jae-Chun’s work is regarded as an example of extending the aesthetics of negative space inherent in the traditional ink painting into contemporary media art.
In particular, the giant moon appearing in 'Under the Moon' symbolizes not merely a natural landscape, but an inner utopia.
In Eastern philosophy, the moon signifies completion, cycles, wisdom and enlightenment.

 

Buddhists have long depicted the round moon as a symbol of truth, while the Zen school teaches, "Look at the moon itself, not the finger pointing at it."

 

The moon depicted by Artist Ryu Jae-Chun is not different. The moment viewers stand before the artwork, they project their own lives, dreams, memories, and hopes onto it. That is precisely the power of sensibility unique to humans. Art Created by AI, Culture Created by Humans.

 

AI will become the art world's most powerful collaborator in the future. In numerous fields, such as artwork data analysis, video production, virtual exhibitions, and the construction of metaverse galleries, AI will expand the imagination of artists.

 

However, culture is not created solely by data. Culture is history and memory. It is the trace of human life and the spiritual heritage shared by a community.

 

This is why, no matter how advanced AI becomes, it cannot replace the human emotion, soul and philosophy.

 

Therefore, AI-cultural convergence must be designed around humans, not technology. AI should be utilized in a way that preserves and expands the sensibility and philosophy of artists.

 

New challenges for the globalization of K-Art

 

In the AI era, the competitiveness of K-Art is highly likely to be determined not by the number of artworks, but by the quality of cultural data.

 

Starting now, we must systematically build a database of domestic artists' works, exhibition records, artist notes, critical materials, and research papers.

 

In particular, preserving the artistic worlds of senior artists such as Ryu Jae-Chun as digital assets is also a cultural investment for future generations. To achieve this, a new ecosystem is needed where artists, curators, researchers, AI experts, and data archive specialists collaborate.

 

Technology becomes culture only when it is used not to replace humans, but to further enhance the human value.

 

 

The moon does not change. Times change and technology evolves. However, the heart that humans harbor while gazing at the moon remains unchanged.

 

Artist Ryu Jae-Chun’s 'Under the Moon' asks us: "Even in an era where AI is changing the world, where does the human spirit reside?" Perhaps the answer to future art lies not in the most cutting-edge technology, but in the round moon that has long been by our side.

 

Moonlight is always there. And art, too, will never disappear as long as the human spirit exists.

 

The work, which combines a giant golden moon with an ink landscape, is captivating the attention of visitors by showcasing new possibilities for K-Art that fuse the spirit of traditional Korean painting with cutting-edge digital technology.