나인갤러리 - Artist Note

I’m working in three different forms. They are installation, three dimensions and two dimensions. The form of works I have continuously studied since 2004 are of overlapping several layers of flat images to create a three dimensional space with the planar layers. A resent three dimensional work is of installing several combined sheets of flat images inside of a hexahedron. This piece is like a scaled –down version of a large installation. The overlapped images are combined with LEDs, so that one may view different images in the work when the LED lights are turned on or off. I have been using LEDs in my works since 2007. I had intended a more dramatic atmosphere by installing light between images while overlapping them in several layers and, through a reinterpretation of star sign stories, my use of LED lights have further accentuated the forms of stars. LED lights in my most recent works play the role of stage lights. The hexahedronal space is like a stage for plays. I reinterpret mythology, star sign stories, opera storylines or arias, themes of classical music or themes obtained from books, etc. On a small stage is as a new story. It appears that life is like a play performed on a small stage. Each performer plays his or her own part. The stage intends a surrealist atmosphere by combining biological dreaming, architectural images and aerial imagination (stars, moon, clouds, light, wind ). They are spaces which could not be seen in reality, but only in dreams. My desires to create invisible spaces, which cannot be viewed in reality, spaces which we dream of, spaces in which one would wish to stay. I wish viewers can be keeping their dreams, viewers can travel into invisible spaces with my works.

- Of the Kim, JinHwa Artist Note

Journey of Invisible World

What is the privilege of artist? Some said it is a creative activity which is painful but feels a secret pleasure and other said it is a free approach to something forbidden. There may be various opinions; but I think it is a free expression of infinite imagination. Artist can dream without sleeping with infinite imagination. By-products of nonexistent idea or imagination in sensible from become image by artists. So expressing invisible world as well as visible one may be artist’s privilege. Kim, Jin Hwa’s works make us feel reading a mystery story composed by writer’s infinite imagination or vague picture story. Achitectural structures or arrangement of people and objects from fairy tale in complex background filled with square patterns make us mobilize all kinds of ideas and knowledge like puzzle or riddle. So, her works are somewhat secret and interesting, but frankly difficult to understand. Kim, jin Hwa has much concern in constellation, square and drawing like scribbling. Constellation means dream and ideal to her. Star is a small light in dark sky, but it is seen well and shines more as it is darker… Her interest in objects, architectural forms and square is closely related to her character. She has a long habit to draw imaginary lines or make a section by connecting edge and edge when she saw a structure and it was because she had a kind of obsession. Now she thinks hard, is logical and diligent. She also likes poem, music and books. She is like a model student rather than artist. Kim, jin hwa is immersed in finding out an association with mental and psychological aspects of human beings from visual objects or architectural forms and structures. In particular, she has interest in the visualization of invisible world like the inspiration, emotion and thinking from books, music and journey or the various mental states including anxiety, attachment, desire, ideal, dream and conflict and makes a picture story like writing poem or novel by drawing mythological, historic and cultural allegory on the spatial recomposition of objects and architectural structures. Her borrowing of allegory is based on her disposition that gives priority to logical and rational motive and theoretical system rather than emotional. For instance, her work “imaginative Falling” discovers the image of fall from descending stairs repeatedly and inserts the scene that venus with wings and water in cup fall. The fall of venus symbolizing the birth of life and beauty means that of something essential and suggests the situation that everything is confusing not to advance further. There are delicate crossing between visual illusion that structure of an object has and artist’s mental state within the canvas made by Kim, jin hwa and close tension between visible and invisible things. Kim, jin hwa’s painting look like secret and subjective landscape because she typifies individual characteristics of her own visual and psychological experiences and makes them allegory or symbol. But since she presents allegories having the meaning of universal symbol, she gets narrative that mental state is applicable. Besides, her works has some double character. Mythology or psychoanalytic symbol system are applied on calculated regular order, objects of repetitive image and mechanical and dry characteristics of architectural structures and then her paintings are replaced to epic structure. Her paintings are intellectual and intuitive, but mobilize emotional and infinite imagination. In addition, since her works are mixed with traditional(mythological, philosophical and literary) foundation and symbolic images made by artist, it can be interpreted as dismantled and various open structures beyond traditional meanings of artist’s intention or image. Method of folding several panels and background of complex structures act as the devices of encoding the painting and maximizing the symbol. That is, folded panel device, window and repetitive stairs become the factor which make audience absorbing and looking into their inside and lead them to the world of fantasy or play the role of guiding mental and psychological world or invisible world. She who I met has small physique and seems to struggle with hard works, but she said she enjoys creative working itself. She discovers treasure in invisible world one by while she is alive and wants to make them art form. I think that the passion of introspective, good and rational character is hotter and deeper than of those who are active and impromptu in expressing their own emotion.

Kim, Hee-rang, curator of Gwangju Museum of Art