[Exhibition of the Week] Kim Yong-ik Solo Exhibition & Kim Mul-gil 'Beyond the Green' Exhibition and More

Editor's NoteThis week's exhibitions introduce a variety of attractive shows from across the country that can be experienced over the course of one week.

▲ Kim Yong-ik Solo Exhibition 'Faint and Hazy Utopia' = The exhibition showcasing Kim Yong-ik's series "Paint Exhaustion Project," where the artist wishes "my life would end the moment my paint runs out," has opened at the International Gallery Busan branch in Mangmi-dong, Busan.

The artist began a new series called the "Paint Exhaustion Project" on December 31, 2018. Now in its fifth year, this project is a declaration to use up all the remaining paint he has during his lifetime. To evenly use the remaining colors, he divided the canvas into small sections and worked on them. The works have taken on geometric shapes and the project is still ongoing.

Regarding the geometric shapes, the artist explains that they are inspired by the symbolic "gua (卦)" forms created in the I Ching and Jeongyeok to indicate directions for the future, as well as the cosmological concept of Cheonwonjibang (天圓地方), meaning "the sky is round and the earth is square." He adds that through his works, he aimed to visualize his own concept of Joyangyureum (調陽律陰), which involves regulating yang and activating yin.

Kim Yong-ik 'Incomplete of Despair 22-1', 2016-2022, 194 x 259 cm [Photo courtesy of Kukje Gallery]

This exhibition reveals over 60 works from 2016 to recent pieces (19 at the Busan branch, over 40 at the Seoul Hanok). It is the first time the "Paint Exhaustion Project" is being publicly shown, offering a chance to encounter the new artistic world of the artist, who is known as the "Dotted Painter." The exhibition runs until April 21 at International Gallery, Mangmi 2-dong, Suyeong-gu, Busan.

Kim Mul-gil_Pink Lake. [Photo by Arte K]

▲ Kim Mul-gil Solo Exhibition 'Beyond the Green: Beyond the Green' = ArteK, a subsidiary of K Auction, presents Kim Mul-gil's solo exhibition "Beyond the Green: Beyond the Green." This is the first exhibition of the year and features 28 works including new pieces by the artist. In his twenties, the artist traveled for 673 days across 46 countries, drawing about 400 paintings inspired by the nature he encountered there.

The lush nature in foreign lands he encountered while traveling alone offered him deep comfort. Using the inspiration from his travels as a tool, he began capturing the natural scenes on canvas. His warm and friendly depictions have resonated with many viewers.

His works feature various travel destinations such as Iceland, France, Vietnam, Bali, and Abu Dhabi. Rather than simply replicating the scenes, he projects the emotions and stories he felt there. He aims to convey the realizations and beautiful messages encountered in unfamiliar places together with nature.

Kim Mul-gil_Springbroom [Photo by Arte K]

The changing seasons are a key focus in his work. He captures the new things that come to mind with each seasonal change. The depiction of light in his works is striking; the light from sunsets or glowing birds brightens the scenery, blending with or contrasting against nature to create a fairy-tale-like atmosphere. The exhibition runs until April 7 at ArteK Annex, Sinsa-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul.

Holding Breath Habit_Ink on Hanji Paper, White Chalk, Oriental Paint_19.5x25cm_2024 [Photo by Page Room 8]

▲ Hwang Ye-rang Solo Exhibition 'Habit of Holding Your Breath' = Page Room 8 presents Hwang Ye-rang's solo exhibition "Habit of Holding Your Breath." Before painting, the artist observes the movements of ants and mites traveling along flowers and stems, is captivated by the maternal love of a mother dog nursing her puppies, and the elegant and swift wingbeats of butterflies and hummingbirds, never forgetting the fact that she shares space and time with these tiny beings. Thus, she constantly summons things that are so small they are invisible to the eye but share life cycles with us onto the canvas.

The familiar yet strange emotions the artist evokes are summoned as images of living and dying on white paper, longing or pity, the ugly and the beautiful. The philosophy of life is so vast and the distance to truth so long that it may be considered absurd for not reaching the inner self. However, as these concepts take on bold and audacious images, they provoke laughter that diminishes the weight of their grand meanings.

For the artist, the "habit of holding your breath" appears in moments when she can put down her thoughts and fully immerse herself. While creating new paintings this year, she often asked herself, "What is painting?" Her efforts to reflect on this act of immersion while applying color and drawing lines are vividly expressed as tension and responsibility within a single canvas containing many elements, such as in the large work "How to Grow Trees and Birds Indoors."

How to Raise Trees and Birds Indoors_Indian Ink, White Chalk, Oriental Painting Pigments on Hanji_72.7x90.9cm_2024.
[Photo by Page Room 8]

Indoor bonsai placed on tables, fruits hanging from trees, cloth covering birdcages, and bird eggs visible through the gaps are arranged horizontally, integrating multiple perspectives like the Joseon Dynasty's 'Chaekgado' (bookshelf paintings). The artist's depiction of a long pair of scissors hanging under the window symbolizes the paradox of needing to prune stems to nurture plants well. Within this painting, plants and animals each bear fruit and results. For the artist, painting is a peaceful and stable landscape that can only be enjoyed on the premise of responsibility and tension. The exhibition runs until April 4 at Page Room 8, Bukchon-ro 11-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul.