Kim Hyuntae

Regarding Hyun-tae Kim’s Art

Haruo Sanda (Japanese Art Critique)

When I had seen the individual exhibition by Hyun-tae Kim, which had been held in January in 2019, ever since the individual exhibition in 1994, which had been planned at the Marronnier Gallery in Kyoto, a high altitude of Japan, the memory of falling into a deep sentiment after knowing the fact that, by departing from a genre which is represented by the Tapestry and the Hanji (traditional Korean paper) work in Korea, he soon became an artist who had received the attention at the frontier of modern art comes to my mind. 

This is because Takashi Murakami, who, after majoring in Japanese painting, which is the traditional painting of Japan, had risen as a rising star while having a good command of the excellent techniques in the field, and who became a world-class superstar instantaneously by seeking the world of the modern art from the Japanese painting, came to the mind of myself, the writer. 

Although, probably, Hyun-tae Kim and Murakami belong to almost the same generations, without settling in the worlds of the traditional genres of each mother country, as a result of jumping into the frontline of the modern painting at the similar time, the common coincidence that, now, they are standing at the places that are called “the representatives of the two countries of Korea and Japan in the genres had caused a lot of interest and excitement in myself, the writer.

At the Hyun-tae Kim individual exhibition, which had been held at the Marronnier Gallery in Kyoto, Hyun-tae Kim’s art, which I, the writer, mentioned in the beginning, had a yet another, different directionality from Murakami, without any room for the doubt regarding the directionality of the expression. Murakami and Hyun-tae Kim, who had established the neo-pop worlds by actively accepting the expressions that are circulated in the modern world of the animations and the cartoons into their own paintings, tenaciously continue their researches regarding the system and the structure that materialize the roots of the traditional paintings, and they discover the possibilities of the new painting expressions that are theirs only.

If I were to mention an example of an expression that shows the research well, Hyun-tae Kim had frequently used the structure of painting a pair of the motifs by arranging them on his own screen as an important logical method. Actually, because of the intense structure regarding the pair, Hyun-tae Kim’s screen makes us feel the sense of stability of the structure. And, it can be said that, at the same time, the boldness of the organization of the screen which leads the person looking was added.

For example, in the ‘Jakin & Boaz’ series and the ‘Dawn’ series, which are the representative works that had been attempted with the tapestry and the handmade hanji (traditional Korean paper), which are the manual works, if I look at the screen on which the two pine trees stand erect to the left and the right and on which the trees cross each other because they are bent, the structure and the expression cannot be but bold. In addition, the unusual three-dimensional effect, too, which appears through the screen that emphasizes the shades without adding the colors, which can be seen in the hanji series had also attracted my interest. 

But, in the ‘Dawn’ series and the ‘Jakin & Boaze’ series by Hyun-tae Kim, the Baekdu Mountain, which can be said to be a sacred mountain of the people who are residing in the Korean Peninsula, appears frequently. Regarding this Baekdu Mountain with the altitude of 2,744 meters, which is in a border area between North Korea and China, because the time that captures 75% of one year is at the below-zero temperatures and because the top is covered with the white snow, it is said that the name was given in that way. 

Just as the case of the Fuji Mountain of Japan, it is a matter of course that the Baekdu Mountain, which has the shape that can be recognized so only by catching a glimpse, became a symbolic, sacred mountain that represents the Korean Pen

insula. In the era in which the East-West Cold War had ceased and the new century had been greeted, there is no irrationality regarding the fact that the people of the Korean Peninsula had the special affection regarding the Baekdu Mountain, which symbolizes the nature on this ground. 

Just as Hyun-tae Kim, as an artist, had to paint this sacred mountain by deeply internalizing it, the artistic directionality that he had as the goal had been toward the consideration, the self-awareness, and the internalization of the reality that surrounds himself as a painter. In the middle phase of the 20th century, in each the traditional genres of Japan and Korea, the coincidence of the appearances of the unique, modern artists such as Murakami and Hyun-tae Kim makes me, the writer, fall into a special sentiment.

With the material of the tapestry from the 1980’s and the material of the hanji (traditional, Korean paper), from around the early phase of the 2000’s, with the expressions that were based on the sense of calling of the era that is said to be Korean and the internal topics that are his own, Hyun-tae Kim had deepened his own art. The Dawn series of Tapestry in the beginning had been repeating the evolutions. And, on the other hand, they had been enthusiastic with the works of art, too, that had newly carved the three-dimensional shades with the achromatic color in relief with the hanji (traditional, Korean paper) as the material. Also, the work of art ‘Jakin & Boaz 07-01-02’, too, on the screen with the two pine trees, which stand calmly and dignifiedly, and the cranes that are seen in the hanji (traditional Korean paper) collage series and the herd of the deer on the grassland where the bright sunshine pours catches the eye.

Regarding the work of art that had been newly colored, as a series of which the three-dimensional effects are great, it arranges the bent trees on the left and right of the screen, and it produces the cranes and the turtles in the central part. Also, the mountain peaks that overlap each other and the clouds that flow were expressed with the ancillary images, and the excellent, mythical world was carved in relief.

Regarding the dawn-love, the love of holding the both hands of each other and the image of the dawn breaking the day with the harmony were expressed. And regarding the work of art from Halla to Baekdu, the bold screen organization with the Chinese character (一), which means ‘one’, and the dense technique achieved the diverse aspects that are worthy of being surprised about.

The unfolding of Hyun-tae Kim’s art from the past to the present had been looked back at through the many series works of art. I, the writer, could obviously confirm the following through my eyes: The fact that, regarding the proper manual work that is his own, Hyun-tae Kim had not settled for only the world of the past and the traditions at all while being self-aware of the psychological and cultural traditions. The fact that he had boldly challenged toward the differentiated, progressive seeking and creations that can be done by himself only without losing the experimental spirit. The fact that he had established the proper expression world that is his own which overflows with the power through the abundant productions of the works. And the others of the like.

It is in that regard that I am full of the respect in my mind regarding Hyun-tae Kim, who is such, excellent Creator of beauty. And I, the writer, wait together with the high expectation that his art will show the new transformations and the interesting expressions to us in the future. And I would like to continue to have the high expectation regarding his art in the future, too.

김현태의 예술에 관해

하루오 산다 (일본 미술평론가)

일본의 고도 교토의 마로니에 갤러리에서 기획한 1994년 개인전 이후 2019년 1월에 열린 김현태의 개인전을 보았을 때, 그가 한국의 Tapestry와 한지작업으로 대표되는 장르에서 출발해 곧 현대 미술의 최전선에서 주목을 받은 작가가 되었다는 사실을 알고 나서 깊은 감회에 빠진 기억이 떠오른다.

일본의 전통적인 회화인 일본화(Japanese Painting)를 전공한 뒤, 그 분야에서 탁월한 기법을 구사하며 유망주로 떠오르고, 일본화에서 현대 미술의 세계로 모색해 순식간에 세계적인 슈퍼스타가 된 무라카미 타카시(TAKASHI MURAKAMI)가 필자의 뇌리에 떠올랐기 때문이다.

아마도 김현태와 MURAKAMI는 거의 같은 세대에 속해 있지만, 각각 모국의 전통적인 장르의 세계에 안주하지 않고 비슷한 시기에 현대 회화의 전선에 뛰어든 결과, 이제는 그 장르에서 한 · 일 양국의 대표라 불리는 자리에 섰다는 공통적인 우연이 필자에게는 적지 않은 관심과 흥분을 불러 일으켰다. 교토에 있는 마로니에 갤러리에서 열린 김현태 개인전에서 필자가 처음 언급했던 김현태의 예술은 그 표현의 방향성에 대해 의심할 여지도 없이 MURAKAMI와는 또 다른 방향성을 가지고 있었다. 현대의 애니메이션과 만화의 세계에 유포된 표현을 적극적으로 자신의 회화로 받아들여 네오팝적인 세계를 구축한 MURAKAMI와 김현태는 전통 회화의 근원을 이루는 시스템과 구조에 대한 리서치를 끈질기게 지속하며, 자신만의 새로운 회화 표현의 가능성을 발견한다.

예를 들어 수(手)작업의 Tapestry와 Handmade 한지에서 시도된 대표작 ‘Jakin & Boaz’ 시리즈 그리고 ‘여명’ 시리즈에 두 그루의 소나무가 좌우로 직립하거나, 나무가 구부러져 교차한 화면을 보면 그 구도와 표현이 대담하지 않을 수 없다. 덧붙여 한지 시리즈에서 볼 수 있는 색을 입히지 않고 음영을 강조한 화면을 통해 나타나는 특이한 입체감도 역시 필자의 흥미를 불러 일으켰다.

그런데 김현태의 〈Dawn〉 시리즈나 〈Jakin & Boaz〉 시리즈에는 한반도에 거주하는 사람들의 영봉이라 할 수 있는 백두산이 종종 등장하고 있다. 북-중 국경 지대에 있는 높이 2,744미터의 이 백두산은 한 해의 75%를 차지하는 시간이 영하권에 들기 때문에 정상부에 하얀 눈이 덮여져 그렇게 이름 붙여졌다고 한다.

일본의 후지산이 그렇듯 얼핏 보기만 해도 그렇게 인식할 수 있는 형상을 한 백두산이 한반도를 대표하는 상징적인 영봉이 된 것도 당연한 것이다. 동서 냉전이 종식되고 새로운 세기를 맞이하고자 하는 시대에 한반도의 사람들이 이 땅의 자연을 상징하는 백두산에 각별한 애정을 갖고 있는 것도 아무런 무리가 없다. 

현실을 화가가 고찰하고, 자각하고, 그리고 내면화하느냐에 있다. 20세기 중반 일본과 한국, 각각의 전통적인 장르에서 MURAKAMI와 김현태라는 독특한 현대 작가가 출현한 우연은 필자로 하여금 각별한 감회에 빠져들게 한다.

김현태는 1980년대부터 Tapestry를 1990년대부터 한지를 소재로 한국적이라는 시대적 소명의식과 자신만의 내재적인 주제에 근거한 표현으로 자신의 예술을 심화시켰다. 초기 Tapestry의 Dawn 시리즈는 진화를 거듭하고 있고, 다른 한편으로 한지를 소재로 새롭게 무채색의 입체적인 음영을 부각시킨 작품에도 열중하였다. 또한 병행된 한지 콜라주시리즈에서 보여지는 차분하고 당당하게 서 있는 두 그루의 소나무와 학(鶴)과 밝은 햇빛이 쏟아지는 초원에 사슴의 무리가 있는 화면의 작품 〈Jakin & Boaz 07– 01– 02〉도 시선을 사로잡는다. 

새로 채색된 작품은 입체감이 대단한 시리즈로서 굽은 나무를 화면의 좌우에 배치하고 중앙부에 학이나 거북을 연출한다. 또 서로 오버랩되는 산 봉오리와 흘러가는 구름을 각각 부조적인 이미지로 표현하며 뛰어난 신화적 세계를 부각시켰다. 

여명-사랑은 두 손을 맞잡은 사랑이나 화합에 동이 트는 여명의 이미지를 표현했고, 한라에서 백두까지 작품은 한일자(一)의 대담한 화면 구성과 밀도 있는 기법은 놀랄만한 다양한 면모를 이루어냈다.

김현태 예술의 과거부터 현재까지의 전개를 여러 시리즈 작품들을 통해 되돌아보았다. 김현태가 그만의 고유 수(手)작업을 정신적 · 문화적 전통을 자각하면서도 결코 과거나 전통의 세계에만 안주하지 않은 것과, 그가 대담하게 실험적인 정신을 잃지 않고 자신만이 할 수 있는 차별화된 진보적인 모색과 창조를 향해 도전해온 것, 그리고 다작의 작업으로 힘이 넘치는 그 만의 고유한 표현 세계를 구축해 온 것 등을 필자는 이 눈을 통해 명백하게 확인할 수 있었다. 

그런 의미에서 이러한 탁월한 미의 조물주(The Creator)인 김현태를 마음으로부터 존경해 마지않고, 앞으로 그의 예술이 우리에게 새로운 변모와 흥미로운 표현을 보여 주기를 필자는 큰 기대와 함께 기다리며, 앞으로도 그의 예술을 계속 기대해본다.