2018 Artist of the year: Yunchul Kim
Yunchul Kim: Dawns, Mine, Crystal
From the central work Cascade, a fluid kinetic installation resulting from Kim’s two-month residency at Arts at CERN and one-month at FACT.
Kim’s work focuses on the research of new materiality and the artistic potential of fluid dynamics and metamaterials (synthetic materials that exhibit properties not commonly found in natural materials). Creating objects and installations which transfer cosmic radiation, acoustic, and/or vibrating impulses into ever-changing, fascinating yet puzzling images, spectators are given a glimpse into the worlds of alchemy, astrophysics and new technologies: strange, unfamiliar and, at the same time, captivating.
The exhibition at KCCUK takes its departure point from the central work Cascade, a fluid kinetic installation resulting from Kim’s two-month residency at Arts at CERN and one-month at FACT as part of the Collide International Residency Award. Suspended in the gallery space, Cascade consists of 18 meter-long interconnecting transparent tubes containing fluid in constant circulation. Exploring the artistic potential of fluid dynamics (the science of liquids and gases in motion), the work investigates the possibility of controlling the propagation of light through suspended photonic crystals.
The exhibition title Dawns, Mine, Crystal – a direct reference to the work of Raymond Roussel, a pioneer of experimental writing – establishes an intersection of a ‘world of materials’ with complex layers of metaphors and symbols. For Kim, material is not merely a basis for creating forms and images, but a main protagonist for creation itself. Through works such as ARGOS (2018), the artist examines fundamental changes evoked when the relationship between matter and force is reassembled. Describing his mode of practice as “psychological, sensual and symptomatic”, Kim seeks to materialise the realm of the imaginary.
Cascade was co-produced by ScANNER network (consisting of Arts at CERN and FACT, as well as Le Lieu Unique, Nantes; CCCB, Barcelona; iMAL, Brussels) in collaboration with the KCCUK. Cascade will be part of Quantica, a touring exhibition by Collide residency artists travelling to FACT in November 2018 and onwards to Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona in Spring 2019, Le Lieu Unique in Autumn / Winter 2019 and iMAL in Spring 2020.
KCCUK’s Artist of the Year project began in 2014. Each year, one Korean artist who has made a significant impact on the contemporary art world is selected and their works are presented as a solo exhibition at KCCUK’s London exhibition space. Previous exhibitions have included Kim Yong-Ik (2017) in collaboration with Spike Island, Koo Jeong A (2016) in collaboration with Art Night, and Lee Bul (2014) in collaboration with Ikon Gallery.
