Ingenuous play in the irrational playground
- Kwangjin Choi (Art critic)

1.
Is contemporary world of highly developed material civilization truly happier than the underdeveloped society of the past? After modernization, with the development of technological civilization, our lives have become economically abundant. However, it seems that the depth of happiness we feel is not as deep as before. In the contemporary society where gigantic ideologies suppress individual beings, true happiness may only be a dream that is difficult to reach.
The work of Hyunsoo Kim originates from the conflict between inner self and such desolate, irrational reality of the society. She tried to resolve the conflict through nature. Her interest in nature has been a consistent theme for her work since her first solo exhibition in 2003. With her father, a soldier, she spent her early years in the mountains where the military camp was located-the intimate communion she felt then has remained as a yearning towards the nature ever since. After her mother passed away, the nature has become the only substitute that could fill the void.
In the early works into where she enfolded the afterimage of wind and plants among calm, rather melancholy mood, the nature was the object of unilateral, unrequited love. Tactical sensation of fresh mountain breeze, olfactory intoxication of the grass in the dawn, acoustic vibration of leaves rustling with wind and birds chirping- she tried to feel the presence of nature that could not be felt visually with all five senses and communicate with it. She visualized the delicate sentiment she gained while resonating and communicating with the nature by drawing on pieces of silk fabric, and coloring them with substances collected from nature. Through the synaesthetic interchange with nature, she longed to have her nervous and hurt inner self to be healed. In turn, she wanted to discover the door that transcends the boundary between life and death-through the experience of self-surrender achieved by sensory stimulation the nature presented

“So easily, we push away death as something that stays across the border of life, but really, death is just another aspect of life. When one is aware of it, then right here, right now, becomes life in a whole different world that is simply miraculous. Interesting fact is that, as one becomes more sensitive to the change of life that the nature presents, the door between the completely different two worlds opens up even wider (from the Artist’s statement, 2007).”

Her will to reach freedom transcending life and death in the nature, filled her works with images of plants that are unworldly and microscopic. Botanic thinking and the yearning for nature that is quite rarely seen at her age originated from the loss of possibility of social communication. The nature became a hideout that filled such void. However, it is practically impossible for rational people to empty themselves out completely to assimilate with nature, and it is also difficult to leave the society entirely.

2.
Such nun-like style has been changing slightly since 2010 when her unrequited love towards the nature has started to wane. She has realized that under the will to assimilate with nature lies the fact that I and the nature are separated. Under the Asian conception of the universe, people are part of nature, and natural characteristics are immanent in the people themselves.

“As I have put down the dichotomous way of thinking that separates people from the nature, paradoxically, I felt liberated even though the reality surrounding me was obscure... now, rather than gazing the nature from far away, I let nature to come into my everyday life by perceiving through my own body and communicate with concrete object of what I can think (from the Artist’s statement, 2012).”

In the solo exhibition held in Gallery Dam, she observed the texture and shape of the plants collected from the nature, and formed shapes within which the animality of men and vegetability of nature are neutralized. In the works made with such method, the plants which were original motives have gained somewhat humane animality and displayed majesty. Such change has risen in the process as the artist listened to the utterance of the plants and reflected her own will in them. In such changes, she could develop the unrequited love towards the nature into somewhat cautious relationship.

3.
In the recent works shown in this exhibition, one can observe such cautious relationship has developed further into amusing play. Such change was made possible as the artist has switched the role of nature from the object of worship to that of play-the artist’s confidence has been expressed as psychological wound healed. In the process, melancholy plane was beginning to be filled with lively energy, and new images such as banknote and tank have risen as major motives.
Kim spent her early years in the military base deep in the mountain. Back then, she observed a tank without even knowing what ideology is, and to her curious eyes, a tank was nothing but a   big and sturdy ride. It is not difficult to find soldiers and military facilities in the mountains of Korea. Such hideous culture is a phenomenon that fully reflects the reality of Korea-that it is divided into the South and the North-and the irrationality of ideology.
With childlike and ingenuous point of view, Kim observed military culture coexisting with beautiful nature of Korea-where 70% of its territory consists of mountains- and visualized it by reconstructing plant elements collected from the nature. In her works, tanks built with fragile plants are not powerful weapons that kill people but an object that could not kill a single ant. Tank that symbolizes the reality of Korea as the only divided nation in the world and the violence of ideology is now transformed into a ride recreated with humorous plants full of satire.
The nature where the tank crisscrosses is not the real landscape but that in the banknote. It is the landscape of the Korean society today soaked with western capitalism, and satire of contemporary society where money holds all values and people lose compassion as well as humane objective. She enlarged parts of banknotes and transferred them onto paper to form background, and transfigured the banknote-means of barter- into a being with its own objective.
Contrary to the early works that represented the nature as a place where she can escape from irrational society, Kim now aims for humorous reversal by treating such reality as a playground. Such change originated from stirring up the romantic memory of the early years when she was yet to recognize ideologies or capitalism. In other words, her recent works restore the nostalgia of early years when she played in the winds of mountains and rivers-and it is realized by mischief and open sentiment of a curious child she once was. There is a chance that such childlike fantasy is her pure self. By pulling out the romantic nostalgia that was hidden deep inside her subconscious mind, Kim’s recent works have gained energy and vigor.

4.
The theme of Kim’s recent works ‘play’ is the most nonpolitical practice where she harmonizes with opposing counterpart to become one, and it is her romantic solution towards the irrational social reality. In battle, one fulfills her objective by conquering and yielding the opponent, whereas in play, one achieves the goal hand in hand with the counterpart. As the relationship becomes more unilateral, the fun of the game wanes. In the philosophy of play resides the natural order of nature where the dichotomous boundary between I and the counterpart are resolved and where one can exist through its counterpart. Through such mechanism of play, she was liberated from nihilistic or pessimistic attitude, and gained composure to contemplate the dichotomous way of thinking and irrational, stiff society formed upon it.
Therefore, her works have become the playground where worldly being and unworldly being, irrational reality and romantic ideal coexist. Upon that, formative style that opens out with the impulsive urge far from visual logic stimulates pure instinct. The imagination originated from the landscape in the banknote, is brought down to the unexpected results as the memory of childhood and ingenuous romantic fantasy spontaneously combines. It is simple and free as Minhwa(folk painting) drawn by commoners in Joseon era. The style of Minhwa are so unconventional because it is free from the constraints-traditional standard of style- and bears strong will to put one’s simple wish in it.
Hyunsoo Kim is looking to realize the world where culture of men and providence of nature are harmonized without boundaries through free style that is created with her own instincts. She is determined to realize ingenuous trait of commoners. Traditionally, Koreans tried to express simple and ingenuous romance and commoner-like trait rather than criticizing irrational social reality. The philosophical identity of Min-the people- is not of subjugated class but pure and free human nature that existed before the social class system was introduced.
Not only Minhwa but Jungsub Lee’s works depicting family or Wookjin Jang’s childlike paintings, Kichang Kim’s landscape also succeed such trait. Hyunsoo Kim’s recent works also reveal her simple trait that succeeds the spirituality of Minhwa. In the process, she has successfully gained contemporary style free from obsolete style that is often seen in the works that claim to succeed Minhwa in their theme or style. Ingenuous ideal shown in her works is not the one of the Joseon people in the past, but the dream of her own who lives in the newly changed society, and the wish of fellow Koreans.