KIMCOLIN in SEOUL
Pilseungsa Experimental Art Space is a artist run space by JUNG Pilseung since 2019. The gallery is located in Sewoon Plaza a 46 year-old landmark of Seoul. Sewoon is an electronics and parts specialty mall. Glass walled units with vendors handling technical hardware constitute the building. The gallery got to take advantage of the enclosed glass space, especially during Covid-19; the "closed" unmanned space could remain open. Jung is open to new ideas, and with an interest in the process and experience, he continues to show Korean and International artists and has become a presence in the competitive Seoulite art scene. KimColin is the 42nd artist to exhibit here.
One of the new works was inspired by Sewoon Plaza itself. When KimColin was a teenager, it was rumored that some vendors at Sewoon sold illegal porn under the table. It was also known that there were bad seeds in the neighbourhood and either they take your money from you or your new treasured illegal goods. KimColin didn’t have the guts to venture out there, although there were other fascinating things being sold in the plaza. The newest Walkman or double deckers. All this business was taboo.
In KimColin’s Vanity Ware, Sewoon Plaza is transformed into a boudoir. Electronic parts, mechanical parts and technical hardware looked like jewelry and they fill the jwagyung - a vanity with a foldable mirror. Sewoon is plaza of wonders and possibilities. They say with the right knowledge one can build a tank from parts here. Unfortunately gentrification has been causing vendors to leave allowing new businesses to open. Artist spaces are dispersed through out the building while fashion and beauty businesses are springing up. Cafes with different characters are line the building. Proposals for demolishing the building for new high-rises in the heart of Seoul is nothing new. KimColin arranged kurkuma and lotus seed pods in a vase. Lotus symbolize longevity and kurkuma, otherwise known as the flowers of turmeric, symbolize prosperity.
In an attempt to make Korean traditional paintings modern, KimColn printed the image on hanji, Korean rice paper, and framed it in pyogu, a framing method where the image floats above silk. Pyogu itself is not popular anymore, and the process is being modernized to emulate the traditional look.