We enjoyed Ilhwa Kim’s solo show last year. Her hanji work is part sculptural, part abstract, but in many of her pieces you can imagine you are enjoying a bird’s-eye view of a complex landscape. This exhibition of new work should be well worth a visit.
Ilhwa Kim solo show: Seed Unfolding
21 October – 3 November 2021
House of Fine Art | 11 Bruton Street | Mayfair | London W1J 6PY | thehouseoffineart.com
Monday – Friday 10:00 – 19:00 | Saturday 11:00 – 18:00 | Sunday 12: 00 – 17:00
Ilhwa Kim: The Face of Nature (2021). Hand dyed hanji, 132 x 164 x 15 cm. Courtesy the gallery and artist
South Korean mixed media artist, Ilhwa Kim, will début her new and never-before-seen works of art created during covid lockdown at her solo exhibition happening at HOFA Gallery London this October. Titled ‘Seed Unfolding’ and inspired by the unique experience of lockdown, the show unveils a new dimension to Ilhwa’s creative explorations on more than 20 large panel artworks. For this artist whose seed universes continue to win critical acclaim as some of the most intriguing abstract sculptural paintings of our time, the forthcoming solo exhibition affirms the immanent self-narrating power of art. In essence, the show builds on the recognition that art speaks for itself both to the viewer and the artist.
Ilhwa Kim’s artworks are as captivating as they are unmistakable. Her hand-dyed folds of cut Hanji paper, set in place with precise and meticulous artistry, reveal extrusions and indentations, slides, paths, queues, and constellations which collectively speak to the rich, organic dynamism of perception. The self-proclaimed ‘sculptor of the senses’ builds on past collections as she explores a new dimension to her art discovered through the isolating and sensitizing experience of living in lockdown.
“During lockdown, we all had to live in very limited, disconnected spaces. It forced us to dust off our recipes and gave us hours to reinvent our everyday experiences at home. For me, I became conscious of how my senses gave more attention and room to minor details of my everyday life, and this new attentiveness, this new sensitivity led me to experience my own works in a new way.”
