Portraits of vague existence
Kim, Young-ho (Prof. of chung-Ang University, Art Critic)
The wave of modernism art is being pushed by new waves. One of them is tendency of huge-screen portraits. They are very diverse, raging from hyper-realism portraits through rough-tough Expressionism ones to huge facial images printed out from digital media. It seems that the tendency of producing some implications through varied facial expressions has been established as a genre advocated by the fine art community. There must be a reason whey such facial portraits are popular as a new genre in this age. While our human nature is being researched into more and more deeply, the possibility is being raised that the human faces may suggest subjective signs revealing the spirit of the time. And such a wave is accepting a variety of interpretive methods, sympathizing with the performance of humanity researches.
Kim Kye-wan's portraits base their aesthetics on indeterminacy of existence. Upon observing his work processes, we can know that he applies such diverse techniques as casting, photographing and painting. Methodologically, he varies the existential subjects into anonymous objects. His paintings must belong to the category of portraits in that they express certain figures. The subjects invited to his work are himself, his family members and friends. However, his portraits have the dual traits of 'showing' and 'hiding' . Although he depicts certain figures, he deletes some of their characters to create another different implications. His meditation on vague existence is well reflected in his works.
The effects of such variations shown in Kim Kye-wan's portraits are intensified with use of the silver leaf. His work starts with plating the subject's face with the silver leaf, as if he were eager to create a figure veiled in mystery. Such silver leaf casting is a process of obtaining a material for his portraits. Namely, It may not be an essence of his work. However, the process of casting the silver leaf on the face is important to produce a semiotic meaning of face. For his portraits aim at a universal sense of existence through face-off rather than a certain personality or a sense of reality. He does not reveal the wrinkles or expressions of a certain figure as an existential entity but removes the personal characters from the face to enhance the effect of representing the universal human existence. As it is, the figure cast by the silver leaf begins to have the dual traits of 'showing' and 'hiding'.
Kim Kye-wan's faces obtained from the silver leaf casting will be reproduced into the planar images through photographing. He does not avoid relying on photography. Hence, his works store kind of data-like attributes generated from the mechanic process. For example, the photographing technique called 'recording of light' serves to store the images of objects and record their moments exquisitely. As Roland Bathes defines, the photo images only form a proof that the past is absent, being only in memory ; the world existing no longer is recorded only. Kim Kye-wan's faces function as the objects recording the moments of existence and stuffing them through the photographic transcriptions. Then, such data will be moved by the artist onto the canvas, and create a special situation.
As discussed above, Kim Kye-wan's portraits are born through the processes of "real face→casting→photographing→painting variation". The faces expanded and transcribed onto the hugh canvas keep their own unique semantemes ; real figure, anonymous casting, temporary photographic recording and detailed painting transcription are all combined to create a compositive meaning. Summing up, Kim Kye-wan's portraits work is a work of variation to turn a real figure into an anonymous one, which may well be characterized by the dual traits of 'showing' and 'hiding'. And such dual traits conduce to reproduce existence of certain figures hidden packaging and camouflage. The characters of the figures hidden in the fossil images turned into data or wrapped in the veil are intended to vary certain figure's existence into a new code.
The silver leaf casting by Kim Kye-wan's creates a delicate visual sense of tension, indeed. The effect of the lights rendered on the crumpled silver leaf planes generates a fine resonance for the audience. Just as luster is generated f개m a gem or light is reflected on the mirror broken and dispersed, his faces are varied by light to look individualistic. As such, his portraits are the figure images represented by the order of light. In his note, the artist says, "My work started with the visual attraction drawn to the glittering silver leaf. Just as the faces have various expressions, the light reflected from the silver leaf creates quite different expressions depending on its intensity and angles. In short, sharp variations of light result in different facial expressions or feelings of object." Such effect of light is expanded and transcribed onto the huge canvas. As the artist says, the effects of light are reborn into the figures having diverse implications through reorganization of the conditions set by the artist.
In his recent works, Kim Kye-wan attempted to expand his objects from his close figures to celebrities. The first attempt was made for the composer Ludwig van Beethoven. He seems to expand the scope of his objects because he may intend to draw our attention to the indeterminate gap between real and anonymous figures. In such works, we can witness an attempt to fossilize celebrities' existence into some universal existences. Just as an object is interpreted in diverse ways depending on its
locations or spectators' psychological conditions, Beethoven's image treated as an object in his work seems to be reinterpreted into a new aesthetic object. The image reborn by means of the light derived from the silver leaf and its reflection may well represent diverse senses of existence for our modern men. Kim Kye-wan's portraits are vague. However, an aura of existence with senses of luxury, mystery and determination mixed is inherent therein. (August, 2008)
Ludwig van Beethoven-Symphony _Schicksal, 227.3×181.8㎝, acrylic on canvas, 2009
Kim Kye Wan
1976 Born in Jeongseon, Korea
2002 B.F.A Department of Fine Art, College of Art, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea
2003 M.F.A Department of Fine Art, Graduate school, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, Korea
Present Teach at Chung-Ang University, Daegu University, Hyupsung University
Solo Exhibition
2009 Philip Kang Gallery, Seoul
2007 <The Face>, Kepco Art Center, Seoul
2006 Gallery La Mer, Seoul
2004 Moro Gallery, Seoul
Group Exhibition
2010 KIAF(Korea International Art Fair) - Philip Kang Gallery, COEX, Seoul
The 10th Ha Jung-woong Young Artists Invitation Exhibition, Gwangju Museum of Art, Gwangju
Korea Galleries Art Fair - Philip Kang Gallery, BEXCO, Busan
ART DAEGU - Philip Kang Gallery, EXCO, Daegu
2009 C∙KOAS-한중수교17주년기념 특별기획초대전(상상미술관,중국 북경)
ICE SCREAM(Dongduk Art Gallery, Seoul)
KIAF(Korea International Art Fair) - Philip Kang Gallery, COEX, Seoul
SOAF(Seoul Open Art Fair) - Philip Kang Gallery, COEX, Seoul
Korea Galleries Art Fair - Philip Kang Gallery, BEXCO, Busan
ART DAEGU - Philip Kang Gallery, EXCO, Daegu
Karajan no6,227.3×181.8㎝, acrylic on canvas, 2010
karajan no8,72.7×60.6㎝, acrylic on canvas, 2010
2008 Chance Challenge & Choice, Philip Kang Gallery, Seoul
ART.FAIR21 - Philip Kang Gallery, EXPO XXI, Cologne
KIAF(Korea International Art Fair) - Philip Kang Gallery, COEX, Seoul
SICAF(Seoul International Contemporary Art Festival) - Philip Kang Gallery, COEX, Seoul
30th Anniversary Exhibition, Kwanhoon Gallery, Seoul
The 8th Ha Jung-woong Young Artists Invitation Exhibition, Gwangju Museum of Art, Gwangju
ART DAEGU - Philip Kang Gallery, EXCO, Daegu
"SOAF 10 Young Artists", distinguished invitational exhibition, COEX, Seoul
SOAF(Seoul Open Art Fair) - Philip Kang Gallery, COEX, Seoul
Seoul Art Fair - Philip Kang Gallery, BEXCO, Busan
2007 ART DAEGU - Philip Kang Gallery, EXCO, Daegu
SOAF(Seoul Open Art Fair) - Philip Kang Gallery, COEX, Seoul
Art Figuratif, Seoul Art Center, Seoul
Vision 2007, Seoul Metro Gallery, Seoul
2006 Exhibition of Art interchange between Graduate school, Tokyo University of the Arts and Graduate school, Chung-Ang University of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts - Art hall, Tokyo
Exhibition of Gyeonggi-do Artists, Ansan Museum of Modern Art, Ansan 2005 The 12th Exhibition of Art interchange between Korea and Egypt,
Art Center, Cairo
The 3th excellent Young Artists-existence and representation, Gaia Gallery, Seoul
2004 Coexistence of Another, Museum of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Seoul
The 12th Exhibition of Art interchange between Korea and Uzbekistan, Center Exhibition Hall, Tashkent
2003 The 11th Exhibition of Art interchange between Korea and Turkey, Mimarsinan University Art Center, Istanbul
The 9th Contemporary Expressions of Korea Young Artists, Dongduk Art Gallery, Seoul
Korea Contemporary Art Exhibition, Cascata Gallery, Vancouver
World Peace Art Exhibition, Museum of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, Seoul
2002 Painting of Homogeneity, Chung-Ang Art Center, Seoul
The 7th Group Exhibition 「The Life」- Return to innocence, Chung-Ang Art Center, Seoul
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