A man hung in the air weakly looks like falling on cold glass mirror which lets you feel sharp tension, a human body whose hands or feet are being shown through the gap of white fabrics accumulates forming layers, the work of Kim Ki-Soo in which the environment around which is chaotically lighting behind the drawn image approaches with weight we cannot know contains memory and longing and scenery of today and draws agony of work over existence and absence, things and landscape, metaphor and facts.

Shining stainless mirror is the most important material and a thing which becomes the subject that is used by the artist Kim Ki-Soo. He uses the material which reduces excessive sharpness made by glass which can be easily broken and is more artificial and has stronger property of matter, stainless mirror instead of canvas, and the stainless mirror which absorbs everything around like a mirror reveals the image of mirror which is the contents and form of work and fictional property of matter. A brush stroke which makes us feel the sensation of speed crosses across the image of mirror and below or around round shape made by beating the surface the moon is positioned. The brush stroke of the artist which is passing breaking cold tension of the reality over the image of silver color mirror is landscape. The landscape of an island, the scenery of the island which is afloat alone on the sea and reveals the appearance dimly by moonlight is leaving the trace with thick brush stroke passes above the water scratching it, and the shape of island which passes across the moonlight reflected on the water and the gap between them is lifting up the scenery like a piece of poem from the state of enlightenment of contemporary men, memory hidden beyond the changing phenomenon, nostalgia, ideal and loneliness. Maybe the artist is feeling lost longing, utopia and the memory through the lifted-up scenery like this. Together with this the accidental effect due to dripping left following a brush stroke which passes over the mirror image adds explanation to abstract scenery and forms a contrast with knot image filled with delicate line drawing and this which forms a contrast with contemplative scenery is a tightly-tied knot which was elaborately described with realistic stroke. The knot image which forms contrast to the scenery over the mirror arouses curiosity about what is contained in it, something which is embraced by this like the Pandora’s Box. This Pandora’s Box deletes the scenery and shape reflected on the mirror and the strongly tied knot is not likely to be untied forever.

The mechanical and artificial materials, the lyrical and traditional image, the moderate and abstract image, and elaborate and realistic depiction seem to symbolize closed scenery and open space. Two images which look like inharmonious and conflict with each other are suggested before us occasionally as independent works or occasionally as one image. What do the scenery and knot of the artist and the Pandora’s Box which hid its appearance behind of it mean? What is the meaning of today which is held by this? The Pandora’s Box tightly wrapped by white cloth symbolizes the today’s uncertainty and the future which has much conflict and danger is hidden. And abstract scenery over the stainless mirror is the world of unreality which misses ideal and longing. Two images are going to tell about creation and extinction and what you see and what is seen through contrast such as opening and closing, hiding and showing, scenery and metaphor. What the artist’s image which repeatedly continues irony and contrast and comes and goes between the reality and ideal is going to tell is to make you face and look squarely at the appearance of reality through ideal.

- Curator HaeKyung Kim