Kim Ki-Chang
From Nature-The Spring of Life
Blanc Gallery
USA. Boston
2013. 1. 3(목) ▶ 2013. 1. 18(금)
110 Brookline Street in Cambridge, MA, 02139
From Nature-The Spring of Life · Mixed media on Canvas (100.0×80.3cm)
From Nature-The Spring of Life
Kim Ki-Chang
Entering the atelier, I see paintings
tinged with ocher colour.
And at twilight I sometimes think of my hometown
with beautiful memories of my childhood.
The field of ever-green pine trees
and the smell of earth,
my precious childhood was surrounded by those.
Climbing the hill,
I heard the sound of numerous crickets,
saw the bright starlight,
pouring down on my feet.
I spent my boyhood with the wonder about the Mother Nature
and the fear of the Unknown world.
My work has begun with these memories of my hometown.
In my paintings, simplified forms of men and nature are shown.
They sometimes are scattered, dismantled, arranged in an order, and finally
all completed in one whole world.
They do not have dependent relations.
Yet, standing on their parallel stance.
Their forms are free individual objects.
The human is only a part of nature, too.
Everything about nature is as valuable as men.
That is the law of Nature.
Today I try to relate my inner world
with the outer world, Nature.
Through these various ways I express myself.
And I would like to hear
the harmonious sound of men and nature.
From Nature-The Spring of Life · Mixed media on Canvas (45.5×37.9cm)
Dancing in the Paradise
Through the works of Kim Ki-Chang, I find myself moved into a primitive age where I can see the unstained well being of life. Not only did the symbolism of the animals and human shapes, sculpted by knife on canvas, remind me of primitive beings expression through shapes, but also the meaning itself which underlies fear and faith in the world.
The world is always unstable and moving for mankind. Thus, human beings themselves have created civilization in order to rid fear from the world. This society is the most rational and well intended aim of every creation by human beings. Yet, the clear division between nature and civilization has dominated the human’s mind, which eventually will harshly destroy nature. This has presented humans with prosperity, convenience and domination, while they lost their ideal dreams- which were possible when nature and civilization were undivided.
From Nature-The Spring of Life · Mixed media on Canvas (45.5×37.9cm)
The human’s perspective on the primitive as immature and uncivilized and of civilization as a developed culture shows humans egoistic motivation for dichotomy. The animas captured in the primitive age with violent force, cannot be compare to the extreme measure of civilized, social violence, such as genocide. Thus, we humans have to admit that the primitive incantation conducted, came from the fear of the law of nature and adaptation to its so called “Noble Barbarism.”The rock engraved pictures in the prehistoric age reflect ancestral life and death, propagation and abundance of festivals and rites. In terms of civilized perspective, this could be comprehended as barbarous, but also as a paradise.
In the paintings of Kim Ki-Chang, the admiration, joy, and above all, the inclination towards the festival within the community are highlighted. His simplified, yet abstract symbolic forms, show the unity between nature and humans as well as out ancestor’s ways of adaptation within nature. This is simultaneously and constantly fighting against nature, which eventually reveals an undifferentiated perspective toward nature and human king. Swirling genuine colors, symbols and letters which increase the communal atmosphere, reflect intensive concentrated rites; coming from the strong unity between reality, the mysterious world, life, death and the primitive community.
This could be an admiration for the lost paradise and even more narrowly an expression of longing for one’s native hometown. Kim made himself a pen name called“ Aho,”which comes from the name of his home town, where pine trees abundantly grow. This method is revealed often in his paintings and reflects the important origin of his usage of mud colors. His effort in finding paradise, don’t come from archeological anthropology, but they are conducts of remembering his childhood. This, it is only the continuation of drawings on the mud road by charcoal, tree branch and edged rocks, when he was a child. What Kim draws emblematizes pure and voluntary conditions that reveal human monism.
The symbols crossing over the border between letters and images organically mingle together in order to the stories of lost dreams and pleasures from Paradise along with the harmony of gold, water, fire and earth. Similar to E.H Gombrich, who has tried to reveal the origin of art expressions with his painting “a Meditation on a Wooden Horse Toy”we see the similarity in the relations between the conscious psychology of children’s images of reality and the primitive arts. In this manner, Kim’s symbols remind us of children’s desires, blurring the perspective between reality and imagination. Lines which seem like dancing and voluntary organic shapes of dancing lines, do not suppress the screen, yet they are freely released and even observed together as an abundant festival.
From Nature-The Spring of Life · Mixed media on Canvas (33.3×24.2cm)
The peace in his work reveals a world without confrontation and hostility, struggle, wrath, domination, obedience, assault and destruction. It reflects expressions of home instincts and psychological conditions of aspiration for inner stability.
It is very clear that even though humans are dominated by nature and it’s response to life and death that has made humans feeble beings since the beginning of civilization. The depersonalized metals, composed papers and concrete representative of oppression, economy, and social rules have made modern humans view nature as a fantasy. Yet, the produced virtual image of nature intimidates human nostalgia. From this point, Kim’s drawings can never be simplified as merely fields, rivers and mountains, but rather humility, acceptance towards nature’s voluntary rules and the mysteries show as society becomes more civilized. Thus, we can easily find the symbolism of soil on the surface of his works.
Kim’s pictures are serious expressions of human life, which start and end with soil. Regardless of delightful and systemically constructed structure of the screen, his works are found with marks of adaptation rather than excessive transformation.
After all, he is dancing in the lost paradise. His dream is not just momentary nostalgia, but a pursuit for his works sanctity. This, his work, ultimately comes to us as the sufficient language which tries to transform the suffering within reality, to celebration.
Choi Tae-Mahn (Art Critic, Professor at University of Seoul City)
From Nature-The Spring of Life · Mixed media on Canvas (33.3×24.2cm)
■ Kim, Ki-Chang
Born in Buyeo, South Korea,
Graduated from the Dept. of Art Education, Kongju National University
Completing the Graduate School, Dongguck University
(Thesis: Characteristics and Spirit of Kandinsky's Painting)
Solo Exhibition | 2013 Solo Exhibition (Blance Gallery, Boston, USA) | 2009 Solo Exhibition (Seoul Internati onal Art Exhibition Seoul) | 2008 Solo Exhibition (Seoul Gallery, Seoul) | 2003 Solo Exhibition (Union Galler y, California, USA) | 2000 Solo Exhibition (Min Gallery, Daegue) | 2000 Solo Exhibition (Seoul International Art Exhibition Seoul) | 1998 Solo Exhibition (Socho Gallery, Seoul) | 1996 Solo Exhibition (KIFA, Seoul International Art Exhibition) | 1995 Solo Exhibition (Socho Gallery, Seoul) | 1995 Solo Exhibition (Sokyong Gallery, Seoul)
Group Exhibition | 2012 The Exhibition of Korea Arts Association (The Arts Hall, Seoul) | 2012 International Formative Artists Exhibition in Taiwan(National Taiwan University) | 2011 The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea In Istanbul | 2009 Exhibition in Malaysia (National Art Gallery Malaysia) | 2008 International Artists Exhibition in Croatia (Vatroslav Lisinski Hall) | 2008 International Formative Artists Exhibition (Ecuador Art Gallery) | 2008 The 21st Be Art Center Exhibition (Be Are Center) | 2007 Kazakhstan National Exhibition(Kazakhstan National Art Center) | 2007 Lotte Gallery Exhibition (Anyang Lotte Gallery) | 2006 International Formative Artists Exhibition(Indonesia Art Museum) | 2006 Sentir Gallery Exhibition (Sentir Gallery) | 2005 Opra Gallery Exhibition (Seoul) | 2005 Korean-Japanese-Chinese Modern Exhibition (Danwon Gallery) | 2004 International Formative Artists Exhibition (Tunisia Art Museum) | 2004 Cosmos Gallery Exhibition (Cosmos Gallery) | 2004 Yale Gallery Exhibition (Seoul) | 2003 Korean Modern formative arts Exhibition(Germany Art Gallery) | 2003 Korea - Rumania Arts Exchange Exhibition (Gasan Gallery) | 2003 Korean Modern Formative Artists Exhibition (Daebaek Gallery) | 2002 Seoul Art Teachers' Exhibition (Lotte Gallery, Seoul) | 2002 The Exhibition of Korea Arts Association (The Arts Hall, Seoul) | 2001 Korean Artists International Exhibition(Turkey National Art Gallery) | 2001 Korean Contemporary Artists Exhibition (Shin-Cheon Gallery) | 2001 Korean Comtemporary Formative Artists Exhibition (Seoul) | 2001 Korean Contemporary Artists Exhibition (Bulgaria Art Gallery) | 2000 Korean Contemporary Artists Exhibition (Turkey Art Gallery) | 2000 Korean Contemporary Artists Exhibition(Seoul Art Center Gallery) | 2000 Exhibition in commemoration of Teachers' Day (Lotte Gallery) | 1999 Modern International Plastic Artists' Exhibition (India Gallery) | 1999 Korean Modern Plastic Artists' Exhibition (Seoul Art Gallery) | 1998 Korean Modern Plastic Artists' Exhibition (Seoul) | 1998 Korean Modern Artists' Association Exhibition (Choi Gallery) | 1998 South-Part Modern Art's Exhibition (Pusan) | 1998 Art Association Exhibition (Seoul Art Center) | 1998 Exhibition invited by Baek-je Cultural Festival (Buyo) | 1998 Korean Modern Plastic Artists' Exhibition (Seoul Art Center) | 1997 Opening Exhibition of Gallery Sangsudang (Seoul) | 1997 Korean Modern Artists' Exhibition (Morocco National Gallery) | 1997 High School Art Teachers' Exhibition(Songpa Community Center) | 1996 Exhibition at Socho Cultural Festival(Socho Community Center) | 1996 Exhibition invited by Baek-je Cultural Festival (Buyo) | 1995 Teachers' Art Grand Contest (Seoul City Gallery) | 1994 Exhibition invited by Paek-je Cultural Festival (Puyo) | 1993 Korean-Japanese Exchange Exhibition (Hukuoka, Japan) | 1992 Korean-Japanese Exchange Exhibition (Hukuoka, Japan) | 1992 Exhibition invited by Baek-je Cultural Festival (Buyo) | 1991 Korean-Japanese Exchange Exhibition (Hukuoka, Japan) | 2012-1975 Entered Group Exhibition About A Hundred Times
Present | Member of Korean Artists' Association, Art education Association.
Chairman of Art Education Study. Director of "Sinwon" Ceramic Art
Research Institute
E-mail | kkc55@Yahoo.co.kr art3579@naver.com
vol.20130103-김기창展