Paul Kim

Exhibitions

2024Making and Breaking, and It Repeats. 

2023 The Function of the Studio & Exhibition Space
Extending Study in Academic Inquires & Personal Doubts

Information

Making and Breaking, and It Repeats.

Gallery DOS
Seoul, Korea
2024























Composition V5 (In order for a drunk man to find his lost watch, he must be drunk again)

Oil and acrylic on wooden panel, 
30 x 120 cm,
2023
Composition V6 (In order for a drunk man to find his lost watch, he must be drunk again)

Acrylic on wooden panel, 
30 x 120 cm,
2023 

Composition V2 (In order for a drunk man to find his lost watch, he must be drunk again)

Acrylic on wooden panel, 
30 x 80 cm,
2023 

Composition V1 (In order for a drunk man to find his lost watch, he must be drunk again)

Acrylic on wooden panel, 
25 x 60 cm,
2023 














My practice predominantly originates from the labour-intensive process of forming a grid on wood. The primal method involves repetitively scoring and carving the wooden panels vertically and horizontally, subsequently scorching them with fire, and finally cleansing and drying them with water. This primitive and manual approach constitutes the most time-consuming stage, imposing both physical and mental burdens. Naturally, this process entails continuous discipline and meditation, prompting constant introspection into what I aim to achieve through these actions and how tangible phenomena and objects derive from them. Through this process, I arrive at the conclusion of claiming the materiality of the wooden panels entirely as my own. This process, initiated by conceptual or philosophical inquiry, seamlessly intertwines with a spiritual approach.

The act of carving into wooden panels to form a grid, with the resulting arrangement of vertical and horizontal lines and intersecting squares, serves as a corporeal expression of human dominion over other entities. The subsequent act involves scorching the wooden panels to eliminate wood debris, enhancing the surface’s smoothness, and strengthening the wood itself. This process, initiated for the convenience and functionality of applying colour to the wood surface in painting, is deeply intertwined with human cognitive abilities. The charred wooden panels are then washed with water and dried, emphasizing the wood's grains and subtly refining the lines that form the square symbols. The conceptual approach and the inherent characteristics of wood as a natural material coexist, leading to an exploration of duality (nature and artifice, order and chaos, unity and division, etc.).

The grid formed through these processes emerges as a systematic and ideal structure, symbolising the reflection of human-cultivated organisational thinking and rationality. The exploration of inherently inevitable or unavoidable actions intrinsic to human nature is the emblematic form of my practice. 

This comes to represent spatiotemporal infiniteness. This symbolises the continuous flow of time and encapsulates the theme of impermanence, reflecting the interconnectedness and transience of all entities. It serves as a reminder of the inherent futility in my pursuit of claiming dominance over this object, prompting contemplation on the problematic nature of related relational and mental states.

Constructing compositions on the wooden surface that inherently embodies these problematic qualities and applying colour through the painting process, further accentuates the nuanced states of these issues. I aim to confront and explore these problematic states by engaging within the painted surface that encapsulates these problematic qualities, fostering a dialogue with the intrinsic complexities and questions associated with ownership, relationships, and mental states.

The process of forming visual compositions is guided more by intuitive and subconscious decisions rather than meticulous planning. In this process, the selection of colour combinations and geometric structures for each painting is primarily determined, guiding the dominant and interdependent composition of the painting. Colour combinations are chosen based on the atmospheric conditions and temperature states felt during the process. Working both indoors and outdoors, the impact of weather conditions becomes evident in the dynamic or static combinations of primary colours, influenced by how prevailing atmospheric conditions affect the perception. 

The intuitive approach continues into the process of applying colours, where simultaneous or subsequent rational reasoning follows the act of painting. The initially chosen colour combinations applied to achieve a balance between primary and secondary elements, evolve with the addition of colours. Paintings that primarily start with primary colours often incorporate secondary and tertiary colours or neutral tones. The initially present primary colours are delicately interwoven between the grid lines, displaying a subtle erosion, yet they radiate a greater luminosity compared to other predominant colours, serving as visual focal points. These colours, akin to intrinsic personal memories, act as visual focal points that evoke specific spaces, times, and memories within each painting. As a result, the paintings prompt a recollection of individual emotional states, bringing forth a unique and nuanced expression of emotions tied to the particular spatial and temporal dimensions within each artwork.