The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Actor Yoo Ah-in appears for questioning over alleged drug use

  • 3

    ANALYSISTesla, BYD's price cuts unnerve LGES, Samsung, SK

  • 5

    Yoo Ah-in appears before police over alleged use of illegal drugs

  • 7

    One of two Kazakhstanis who fled Incheon Int'l Airport nabbed

  • 9

    Will April releases revive Korean cinema? Films to look out for in April

  • 11

    Korean crypto investors want Do Kwon punished in US

  • 13

    Clock ticks for China's massive repatriation of N. Korean defectors

  • 15

    TEMPLE ADVENTURESHaedong Yonggung Temple prospers on Busan's coast

  • 17

    N. Korea fires 2 SRBMs toward East Sea; US aircraft carrier due in S. Korea for joint training

  • 19

    Nongshim plans to build plant in eastern US region

  • 2

    SK chief's estranged wife sues his new partner for compensation

  • 4

    4 young Nigerian siblings killed in house fire in Ansan

  • 6

    US aircraft carrier to visit Busan amid NK provocations

  • 8

    Dreams come true: TXT mesmerizes 21,000 fans at KSPO Dome

  • 10

    Chun Doo-hwan's grandson apprehended at Incheon Int'l Airport over drug use

  • 12

    Revised Japanese textbooks distort wartime forced labor, catching Korea off guard

  • 14

    Families of foreign construction workers can receive retirement pay: court

  • 16

    Gimpo-China flights recover to pre-pandemic levels

  • 18

    Local bank stocks hit by shockwaves from SVB, CS collapses

  • 20

    Right-wing Japanese support Seoul-Tokyo ties: Korean envoy to Japan

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
Wed, March 29, 2023 | 15:41
Exploring between existence and illusion
Posted : 2015-12-17 17:07
Updated : 2015-12-17 19:51
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
Kim Chang-kyum's video installation 'Water Shadow Four Season 2' (2013-14) / Courtesy of the artist
Kim Chang-kyum's video installation "Water Shadow Four Season 2" (2013-14) / Courtesy of the artist

This is the 18th in a series of interviews with notable artists recommended by the Korean Artist Project, an online platform promoting Korean art. ― ED.

Kim Chang-kyum's video installation 'Water Shadow Four Season 2' (2013-14) / Courtesy of the artist
Kim Chang-kyum
By Kwon Mee-yoo

Fish swim in a stone mortar, water sloshing from side to side. Falling cherry blossom petals are reflected on the surface of the water, but the image changes in the blink of an eye to water lilies, accompanied by the sound of a cicada. Seasons constantly change in the world reflected on water, as if blurring the border between reality and delusion. This is Korean artist Kim Chang-kyum's media art titled "Water Shadow."

As many artists who defy genre conventions nowadays, Kim majored in painting at Sejong University, Korea, went to Accademia di Belle Arti di Carrara in Italy to study sculpture and later studied at Kunstakademie Dusseldorf in Germany.

"But I didn't encounter media art when I studied abroad," Kim said. "I was deeply into Italian marble at Carrara and worked at stone factories during vacation to pay for tuition at the German academy. It was when I was back in Korea and I saw Park Hyun-ki's artwork projecting a video of the Gwangju Democratization Movement onto fragments of shattered dishes. It just struck my head."

Kim Chang-kyum's video installation 'Water Shadow Four Season 2' (2013-14) / Courtesy of the artist
Kim Chang-kyum's "Mythos 1" (2014)

Park is a pioneer of media art in Korea and Kim is influenced by Park's works combining video art with an Eastern philosophy. Kim was drawn to media art because it was a relatively new genre, different from traditional static art. "Video art has to be predicative. The narrative of video was more interesting to me."


He taught himself media techniques and computer graphics. "I had this idea of media art, but it was difficult to realize the thoughts in the 1990s when it was difficult for an individual to purchase and use video cameras and computers," he explained.

The "Water Shadow" series began in 2004, after experimenting on combinations of sculpture and video projections.

"I often went hiking and took inspiration from the sound of water," Kim said. "Drops of water falling into stone mortars at temples and it seemed like a fragment of language to me. Water reflects things, but it is different from the smooth reflections of a mirror. Water reflections easily become distorted by a tiny movement."

Kim Chang-kyum's video installation 'Water Shadow Four Season 2' (2013-14) / Courtesy of the artist

Kim Chang-kyum's "Like a Mao" (2004)


The work is labor intensive. Kim has to sculpt his own mortars and it takes at least a year to complete the video for four seasons as he has to capture seasonal changes such as cherry blossoms, water lilies, autumn foliage and snow. To make it more realistic, the artist adds layers of stone texture and water surfaces, summing up to about 50 layers in the end.


When The Korea Times visited his studio north of Seoul in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, last week, Kim was busy putting the finishing touches on his work to be displayed at the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) headquarters in Seoul.

The art piece consists of a white 3D sculpture of the WTF logo and a video projection that demonstrates various aspects of the sport originated from Korea.

"WTF President liked my work and asked me to produce a piece for the federation," Kim said. "It is encouraging that my art is acknowledged by such an organization for collaboration opportunities."

He is also working on a new edition of his signature "Water Shadow" series for a major Korean confectionary company.

Kim's works are widely appreciated overseas and the artist has been participating in exhibits around the globe because his work explores a universal theme of reality and illusion. Kim is now busy preparing for an exhibit in Chongqing, China, next week.

"I have been exhibited in the United States, Russia, Germany and India, as well as neighboring China and Japan," Kim said. "I remember someone at a U.S. exhibition who watched a ‘Water Shadow' piece for six years. From then, I started to observe the audiences and how they appreciate my work. So I try to edit the video differently for the location of the display."

Kim also is an activist for artists' rights. He is campaigning against a lack of artist fees in Korea. Kim said Korea needs better art education to appreciate art as a foundation of culture.

"There are things only art can achieve, such as the longstanding rock paintings of the Cave of Altamira," Kim said. "Art comes from entirely personal reasons, but it lights up on new ideas and perceptions. That is why an individual artist should be respected and be paid for their work appropriately."

Emailmeeyoo@ktimes.com Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
Top 10 Stories
1Revised Japanese textbooks distort wartime forced labor, catching Korea off guardRevised Japanese textbooks distort wartime forced labor, catching Korea off guard
2Clock ticks for China's massive repatriation of N. Korean defectors Clock ticks for China's massive repatriation of N. Korean defectors
3Gold price nears all-time high amid financial jitters Gold price nears all-time high amid financial jitters
4Ramsar wetland in Han River cleaned up for protected birdlife Ramsar wetland in Han River cleaned up for protected birdlife
5BMW launches new XM BMW launches new XM
6Civic groups in Gwangju await meeting with Chun Doo-hwan's grandson Civic groups in Gwangju await meeting with Chun Doo-hwan's grandson
7CJ CheilJedang sees chicken as next big seller after frozen dumplingCJ CheilJedang sees chicken as next big seller after frozen dumpling
8North Korea unveils tactical nuclear warheads North Korea unveils tactical nuclear warheads
92024 budget to focus on tackling low birthrate 2024 budget to focus on tackling low birthrate
10Jeju seaways get busy with cruise ships, new trade route to Qingdao Jeju seaways get busy with cruise ships, new trade route to Qingdao
Top 5 Entertainment News
1Will April releases revive Korean cinema? Films to look out for in April Will April releases revive Korean cinema? Films to look out for in April
2Dreams come true: TXT mesmerizes 21,000 fans at KSPO Dome Dreams come true: TXT mesmerizes 21,000 fans at KSPO Dome
3'My ID is Gangnam Beauty' to be adapted into live action series in Thailand 'My ID is Gangnam Beauty' to be adapted into live action series in Thailand
4[INTERVIEW] Choi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi on creating Korean-style noir with 'Big Bet' INTERVIEWChoi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi on creating Korean-style noir with 'Big Bet'
5Ra Mi-ran, Lee Re to lead fantasy drama 'The Mysterious Candy Store' Ra Mi-ran, Lee Re to lead fantasy drama 'The Mysterious Candy Store'
DARKROOM
  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group