About her Art
Ilhwa Kim's work 'Seed Universe’ is composed of tens of thousands of seed units. Each seed unit has the combination of straight lines and circles, which compose a tiny single universe in her own physical terms. The materials are not given, but created personally for each universe. Kim dyes each sheet of paper by hand with thousands of different colors, then cuts and rolls the layers of paper to make it rigid. Not a single universe has the same shape, look, color in her work. When tens of thousands of universes take shape of one whole universe, the artwork is completed. The sense of completion never comes in full and each perception betrays the previous ones. The surface and sense of the work keep changing from morning to night all day long; endless up and down waves by her 'paper seed' units, bold and dense juxtaposition of hand dyed colors, and very mild reflection between 'Hanji' paper units.
Kim's universe achieves dramatic transformation between a close up and a distance away. Tiny seed units by Kim's hands are firm and rigid, but the lump by the seed waves moves tender and fast. Tenderly relaxed talk ceaselessly goes on between sculptural weight and tactile painting quality. Kim's universe pushes away the distinction between sculpture and painting. The tactile universes are extremely free from optimum point of view. The 'Seed_universe' work itself does not move, but reforms every moment achieving unseen dynamic balances among calm humble seeds.
Education
1996 M.F.A Dept. of Oriental Paintings, Hong-Ik University, Seoul
1991 B.F.A Dept. of Oriental Paintings, Hong-Ik University, Seoul
Ilhwa Kim's artworks are available at the kálmán Makláry Fine Arts.