(Yonhap Feature) S. Korean pop artist Kim Joong-sik`s technique wows art world

By Kim Young-gyo
(ATTN: Photos Available)
HONG KONG, April 22 (Yonhap) -- It seems reasonable to conjecture that the works
of South Korean artist Kim Joong-sik would have found favor with pop art legend
Andy Warhol.
Warhol once said his idea of a good picture is "one that is in of focus and of a
famous person" and by that standard Kim comes up trumps with his vivid depictions
of popular icons like Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and James Dean.
Pop art, the visual art movement that became prevalent in the United States in
the 1960s, aimed to challenge traditional notions of what constituted fine art by
seeking its inspiration from commercial images and items of mass culture.
In Kim's work, the familiar images, however, are transformed and given an
eye-catching twist through Kim's use of innumerable tiny painted dots, giving a
holographic effect.
"I got an idea of using these dots, when I was in church, seeing my pastor
lecture in front of a LED (light-emitting diode) screen board," Kim told Yonhap
News Agency at the Friday opening of his first solo exhibition in Hong Kong. "The
inspiration of overlapping two objects through dots came from it."
The 48-year old artist said he wanted to create a different visual experience,
creating a new third image by overlapping two photographic depictions of a
celebrity.
"The Harmony of a Duet 5" portrays the graceful profile of Audrey Hepburn, whose
closed, red lips seem trembling, helped by what he calls a "doubling" effect.
A portrait of John Lennon with hair disheveled depicts the immortal British
musician immersed in thought, Kim's medium giving the impression that he is
shaking his head.
"I used the images of these well-known figures, because it was a good way for an
artist to get connected with the masses," Kim said.
The intricacies of his pieces often lead to misunderstanding that they are made
by superimposing photographs on top of each other.
"Most of my works are painted twice on canvases. If you take a closer look, you
can feel the texture of painting materials," Kim explained, letting the Yonhap
reporter touch the painting.
A number of audiences were wowed at the opening, realizing that his works were
all made by human endeavor, without using any computerized technology.
The painter, who developed his new techniques only a couple of years ago, works
13 consecutive hours a day in his studio, striving to establish his own genre of
pop art.
"I want to set up my own new genre within pop art. With this 'dual canvas
structure', I will let audiences see more than one images contrast or blend with
each other," he said.
"I tried to navigate the gap between real and virtual, East and West, tradition
and modern style, and human and materials."
Experts say Kim's works display his ability to rediscover and reinterpretate the
existing contents.
"The details and technique in Kim Joong-sik's works are so advanced that only few
(international) artists can achieve such level of artistry," Eddie Lui, former
executive director of Hong Kong's Jockey Club Creative Arts Center (JCCAC), told
Yonhap News.
Kazuhiro Seki, director of Tokyo-based Gallery Art Composition, was of a similar
mind, saying "The famous, historical figures who remain in the memory of people
are brought to life with his unique printing technology, and there is here an
original expression given to the impressions which sway in the memory of humans."
Kim, who studied painting in Korea and Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts
in Paris, selected well-known Renaissance painting images as his subject matter,
in addition to the cultural icons, juxtaposing some of them with Korean porcelain
vases.
"The Harmony of a Duet 9" features the Girl with a Pearl Earring, painted by
Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer in 1600s.
"Kim was the first pop artist who borrowed the image from Vermeer's masterwork,"
said Paris Moon, director of Moon Gallery where the exhibition was held. "It is
re-transformed into the artist's unique style through Kim's creative optical
devices."
Kim added that he is currently working on landscapes based on the same technique
for next year's exhibitions.
Art critic and chief editor of Korea Art World Magazine, Kim Sang-cheol,
expressed his expectations about the artist's future works.
"We can find the similar effects in other artists' works, but apart from the
external similarity, Kim Joong-sik's techniques and effects are incomparable in
terms of freshness and potential. His works are the products of interpretation
and adaptation," he said.
"If he could construct the conventional images to be interpreted and transformed
in a more subjective way to converge onto some specific formative frameworks, we
would be able to find another noteworthy and sound artist."
The exhibition at Moon Gallery in downtown Hong Kong continues until May 13,
featuring some 20 of his works.
ygkim@yna.co.kr
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