Kim Duck-Yong : Auspicious Dream

EVENT DESCRIPTION

Soluna Fine Art is delighted to present Kim Duck-Yong’s second solo exhibition ‘Auspicious Dream’ across its two gallery floors in Hong Kong. Alongside Kim’s iconic mother-of-pearl series of ‘Ocean Rhapsody’ (oceanic sceneries), ‘Borrowed Scenery’ (partial ocean views in window frames), and ‘Scholar’s Accoutrement’ (books and objects on shelves), the exhibition will debut nine new works and series titled ‘Auspicious Dream’ (2023), depicting pearlescent night landscapes. Kim’s continuous philosophical exploration of materials, which echo the traditional Eastern Asian heritage, enables the viewers to have new experiences of art and nature within the modern context.

The word ‘auspicious’ describes signs of luck in unforeseen situations. It also reflects humanity’s hopes and prayers to the universe across all religions. When ‘auspicious dream’ is translated into Korean and Chinese (상서로운 꿈; 夜夢吉祥), the etymology is more concerned with humanity’s primordial awareness and conviction that there are magical forces in the universe bringing blessings and fortunes. Moreover, for over thirty years, Kim has been building his modus operandi by painting primarily on aged wood and eventually integrating mother-of-pearl. Despite the heavy limitations of natural materials compared to painting on canvas or paper, he had always preferred raw, authentic portrayals of nature. Kim’s undaunted workmanship may also be considered his humanistic endeavor, a form of prayer, to maintain a close relationship with mother nature.

At the core of Kim Duck-Yong’s solo exhibition, ‘Auspicious Dream’, are representations of the cosmos, ocean, and human home, symbolizing the infinite connectivity between humanity and nature. It also contains the tri-conceptual idea of Heaven-Earth-Man in the Confucius scriptures of 「Yi Jing 」 and 「Zhong Yong」 emphasizing that Man came into this world through Heaven and Earth to live in harmony with mother nature. Kim has continuously sought new ways to represent nature and the timelessness of the materials by exploring the theme of Heaven-Earth and time-space, which evoke a sense of wonder about the universe.

In the new series, the artist meticulously renders the nocturnal landscapes infused with sublime qualities: the vast universe, cosmic spirals, and lights. According to Erman Kaplama, philosopher of aesthetics, in ‘The Cosmological Aesthetic Worldview in Van Gogh’s Late Landscape Paintings’, sublime art moves human imagination differently than the experience of beauty. Whereas the ‘beautiful’ connotes a static objective quality, the ‘sublime’ connotes a fluid elemental force beyond human comprehension, like the forces of nature, functioning to extend viewers’ imagination.

The spiral of light is one of the main recurring themes in Kim’s work titled ‘A Profound Space’. In Dionysian, a philosophical concept that embraces the human nature of chaos and irrationality, the spiral symbolizes the continuous cycle of creation and destruction, the process of ‘becoming’, and the necessary excitation for the continuation of motion and life. Moreover, the spiral’s centric cosmic heat emits light onto the mountains below, fueling the activities of the cosmos and humanity. The metaphysical interpretations of cosmological aesthetics in Kim’s landscape paintings reveal the fundamental truth about the essence of beauty that transcends life and death.

ABOUT THE ARTIST / ORGANISER

Kim Duck-Yong (b. 1961) was born in Korea and received his B.F.A. and M.F.A. from the Department of Painting at Seoul National University in Korea. By integrating both traditional and contemporary practices in his work of art, he, on one hand, follows the tradition of oriental paintings by using ancient wood as his canvas, which allows the viewer to sense the warmth of nature through minor details. On the other hand, by highlighting the importance of traditional materials and painting key iconographies that echo with his heritage, Kim primarily explores the contemporary mechanics of Korean society. In other words, Kim’s paintings reveal the change of time with its attribute of intergenerational transience that overarches old and new histories. With works placed in important institutional collections in South Korea such as the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul Museum of Art, Park Soo-Keun Museum, and Gyeonggi Museum of Art, Kim has been recognized as one of the established artists among the Korean art scene.