Before the recent setting up of his studio in Beijing, Kim had been living and working for a long time in Daegu. Therefore, the rurality and Buddhism from Daegu and the internationalization and diversification from Beijing become the main sources of his creation. Black varnish as medium, he has been used to rubbing against the surface of the canvas to present a certain appearance of dignified bas-relief, for the sake of an ideal portrait of modern sage. Yet it inevitably leads to a mood of grief.
The characters in his works are with barely any expression. Their eyes are closed for the most of time, and they usually have no mouth. It seems that all of them are in a state of Buddhist meditations. This might be due to his preferences to think and create in silent environment and his pursuance for Buddhism spirit. What he said about his creation was “the mind imprints on time and space”. As a result, we are allowed to know about his mind and communicate with it through his works. As a mid-aged backbone artist in Korea, Kim’s works are the newly representatives of Korean contemporary art. What he seeks in art is a transition between modernism and classicism, carrying his creation out with introspection experience particularly in Oriental culture.
About the artist
Born in Korea in 1961, Kim Gil-hu now lives and works in Beijing as well as in Daegu. He has participated in many international group exhibitions and held his solo exhibition for a lot of times. His works have been collected by various art museums worldwide.
About the exhibition
Curator: Wang Chunchen
Present by: Sun Yongzeng
Duration: Nov 15 - Dec 4 2014
Venue: White Box Museum of Art
Gallery Opening Time: Tuesday-Sunday, 10:00-18:00
Tel: 010-59784800
Add: 798 Art District, NO.2 Jiu Xianqiao Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Courtesy of the artist and White Box Museum Of Art, for further information please visit www.798whitebox.com.