Abstract, 2025

Kim Iljung  

Kim Iljung is a Korean artist born in 1979 who lives and works in Seoul, South Korea.

Adhere, Scratch, Push Away are his motto.

The dual nature of mother-of-pearl—both transmitting and reflecting light—meets the materiality of acrylic, producing a superficial yet conceptual sensation. The lines of mother-of-pearl, arranged vertically and horizontally, occupy a certain space. The free spreading and scribbling of paint is gravity. It flows downward, hardens, thickens into masses, and when a certain density is reached, it inevitably dissolves again. Within a confined space, materiality appears to achieve an unlimited movement, endlessly flowing yet remaining still. As if it had always been that way, or as if it had traversed a path never taken before. Shell fragments divided into various tones seem to prove themselves, remaining embossed in appropriate positions, while at times scattering depending on the angle of reflected light. They may fully contain form, or reveal traces of paint beneath, emitting light as they occupy space and gradually disappear. Vertical is horizontal, and horizontal is vertical—an expression of unity. Within the work, these two elements respond to each other, aspiring to manifest as a harmonious structure. The potential of horizontality expands into verticality, while the potential of verticality permeates into horizontality, enriching it further. Mother-of-pearl is, in essence, a processed shell from pearl oysters. Such shells, through variations in thickness, tone, and grain, are reduced to another shell—an abstract landscape. The outer surface of the shell is covered with plastic, while the inner surface is layered with various pigments. The inner coating determines the grain and placement of the mother-of-pearl, while the plastic applied on the outside (medium, finishing layer) reveals and protects the determined forms more distinctly. They interact, originate from one another, and remain in constant relation. The rows and columns of these mosaic-like shells no longer represent any specific form or color; instead, they simply exist, each in its own place, as itself. The edges of paint scraped by a knife appear as patterned lines. At times, thin pieces of mother-of-pearl are placed upon these lines to create particular formal qualities. When various paints are poured onto a wide, long acrylic panel and pushed onto the canvas, accidental imagery emerges. At the same time, the deliberately arranged vertical and horizontal lines of mother-of-pearl form a subtle contrast. I wanted to express a state in which unforeseen choices and chance coexist with intentionally constructed lines in a delicate tension. Yet I cannot definitively say that this speaks of uncertainty or certainty. We know that we know nothing. Often, we merely wish to know more and pretend that we do. The only truth is that we know nothing. We devise all kinds of theories and generalizations about ourselves, life, and the phenomena we encounter, yet those subjects are infinite, while our knowledge and capacities remain exceedingly limited. I merely construct a kind of notion. The physical distance between myself and the subject of my work is a crucial factor in determining the outcome. For the material of mother-of-pearl and the sensation I aim to express to be conveyed faithfully, each requires its own independent “distance." The artist recognized himself as also a medium, and everything in the world functions as a kind of medium. A proper distance—not too far, not too close—from a certain point of reference. In other words, to represent something (a subject) seems to begin with either adding something or subtracting something. Thus, a distance is determined. And I hope that the series of patterns realized through my own methodology will gather and disperse into yet another form.