Kim Jae-Im: Korea

Kim Jae-Im belonged to the first generation of Korean Abstract Expressionists. Since her first one-woman show in Seoul, Korea in 1960, she has continuously exhibited her works in Europe and Asia. Although her works resemble those of American Abstract Expressionist painters superficially, there is a fundamental difference. For example, she uses Oriental brushes of all size as if her acrylic paints were links and watercolors. The expressive ink brushstrokes run in vertical, and diagonal directions in her recent works to organize the composition with the lively sense of rhythm. The empty, white background restrains the wildly dancing, calligraphic brushstrokes of ink and color. There is a drama of action and inaction as the titles of some works such as Temporal and Spatial suggest. Even her use of gold and silver ultimately relate to the traditional technique of wall painting in Asia where profuse amount of gold and silver are used. Moreover, one cannot help but remember the lyrical ink paintings of the 13th century Southern Song dynasty such as Ma Yuan or Mu Qi. Her act of painting, according Kim, often emulates the Korean Monk's Dance with graceful movement and impetuous of temporal and spatial activity by her act of first applying the paint and then quickly wiping away, thus creating the silent, empty space with a trace of painting.

Dialogue through art
The world of work
Through words
And letters
Opening the heart
Can we express our
Whole being ?
Touching the inner reality
With the trembling heart
Faced with the white canvas
Challenging the infinite possibility
The marks of the concentrated blush
The movement of blush one by one
Living and moving
Being blurred and spreading
Color mixed with color
How long we can bear
And patiently wait
Then, with our eyes
And hearing…
We intend to talk together

Poem by Kim Jae-Im
Translation by Masao Takenaka