Visible Invisible, 1977

Kim Guiline  

Kim Guiline (b.1936) was born in Gown, South Hamgyong Province. Kim graduated from École Beaux-Arts and The Arts-Décoratifs in Paris, France. The artist currently lives and works in Paris.

In 1960s, Kim Guiline worked on objectifying the flat surface painting of pure black and white. In Visible, Invisible series from the 1970s, he composed smaller squares within a square canvas to deepen the monochrome painting. Later in Inside, Outside series, Kim identified the dualistic relationship of using vivid primary color and dot as a base unit.

Use of oil paint, while pursuing the oil painting without the oiliness is Kim Guiline’s iconic way of working. Kim filters and eliminates the oil from the paint using a newspaper. Such process allows him to achieve a mattified canvas. Kim repeatedly apply dozens of layers of black and white paints to complete the work, which titles reference from French philosopher Merleau-Ponty’s The Visible and the Invisible.

Kim Guiline’s works are acquired from premier institutions including National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul Museum of Art, Busan Museum of Art and Daegu Art Museum.