South Korea
Statement
Isu Kim was born in 1991, Seoul. From 2009 to 2014, she studied visual communication design including graphic design, illustration and film at Hongik University in Korea. After graduation, she worked as a designer for a few years, and she left for Berlin. Starting with the group show ‘What the eyes don’t see – Taktkunstprojektraum’ in Berlin and ‘The small but big pleasure – Choijungah Gallery’ in Seoul, she has begun to concentrate on her own artwork using techniques inspired by her design background. The main motive of her work is to find the inherent images in her own world and assemble them in a limited frame and space. Her works include painting, installation, video and GIF images. The latest series ‘COMPOSITION’ is an abstract painting which mixes various pieces that consist of the basic components of the figure like line, shape and colour. She focuses on making new compositions with selected pieces considering the balance and conflict between them. Isu calls this action ‘Self-discipline’, not only to visualize her imagination from the context in unconsciousness but also to remain her mind clear, eliminating the visual elements accumulated in her memory.
Profile
GlogauAIR resident from 01/04/2019 to 30/06/2019
GlogauAIR Project
The series [Composition] is one of my main works as self-discipline. They consist of various elements like paper, paints, markers and thread. Through this work I study the relation between the objects and practice visualizing them from unconsciousness to on frame, making balance, conflict or rhythm between them. And recently I’m planning to make a new one using thread as a main element. Thread has a particularly important meaning among others. For me, it is a very feminine object symbolizing my mom and her dreams and sacrifices as well. Although I live a totally different life from my mom, I feel I can’t completely escape the fates of being a woman. So in my work the thread shows not only the different way of life as a daughter but also the destiny which leads me to the life that my mom did. This work would consist of sewing on canvas as if I’m a housewife or laborer – from 1970 to 1980, lots of Korean women worked as laborers at textile factories. At the same time I hope that this work would be in an exhibition – eventually it would exist as Art.
CV Summary
b. 1991 South Korea
Education
- 2009-2014 Hongik University of Art, Seoul, Korea: Bachelor of Visual Communication Design
Exhibition
- 2015 The group show: ‘What the eyes don’t see’ Taktkunstprojecktraum, Berlin, Germany
- 2016 The group show: ‘Small but big pleasure’ Choijungah Gallery, Seoul, Korea
