In the late 17th century, during the Joseon Dynasty of Korea, a special rotund, just white porcelain vessel became popularity. Nicknamed “moon pots“For their milky glaze and spherical shape, the earliest examples were finished in wood -fired ovens to add character to their minimalist surfaces.
For the artist established in Brooklyn Sung HWA KimThe traditional Korean pot serves as a starting point for a continuous series of paintings that evoke decorative barrels as metaphorical containers for the past. In the context of the still life, he evokes what he calls as ‘visual Haikus’, poetic evocations of the passage of time, such as changing seasons and the transition from day to night.
In Kim’s current Solo exhibition, Spring, summer, autumn, winter and spring bee Harper’sThe artist emphasizes quiet, everyday moments in domestic institutions that often look out on brick buildings or the iconic Brooklyn Bridge. Some of his compositions are lively monochrome and put the stage on top of a table, with a scene from a historical painting or distant landscape.
Kim often records spectral, glowing insects (earlier) and situates the barrels in sills or near windows. Vases contain landscapes, trees and animals, while the layout of the walls reference work of famous modernists such as Vincent van Gogh, René Magritte and Sanyu.
The flora appears spooky or faded in the pots, shown in Fuzzy Gray Traces, and objects that have been left in the neighborhood, such as a pencil and notebook or a drinking glass, suggesting that someone was recently present, but a non-specified time has passed since they left. The pots serve as portals to different times and places just like the windows offer a view of another world. “Ultimately, Kim masterfully inhabits the role of guide, making the delicate threshold between what fades and what continues to exist, makes it perceptible,” says a gallery statement.
Spring, summer, autumn, winter and spring Continues in New York up to and including 5 April. See more about the artist website And Instagram.
