Exploring between existence and illusion

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

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 "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 "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."

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