CAESURA
Jisub Kim is an observer. He looks at what surrounds him, but he always keeps a certain distance from what his eyes are on. It is as if he is slightly detached from the earth and observing it in a floating state. Distance has been an essential factor in Kim’s works. He stays outside the scenes he paints. The objects of his observation per se are intrinsically not important to him. He does not want to engage in relationships with them. Things are only there to evoke the artist’s inner movements. For Kim, it is important to exist as an independent being that belongs nowhere in the world.
In a silent gaze, Kim seeks a short moment in which he can fully immerse himself. It is the moment when everything suddenly becomes distant and still, like a caesura in the flow of life. Caesura, both in music and poetry, is a silent pause in the flow. By leaving an empty space between lines or notes, it creates tension or emphasis. Such moment of stillness resembles the sense of time found in Kim’s paintings. He paints scenes that give him the feeling that time is standing still. In the artist’s statement for his previous exhibition “Fictive Tension”, he wrote: “These quiet scenes, which seem motionless, make me feel even the slightest trembling. It’s just like when you hold your breath and stand still.” Kim captures this short instant of a breath that seems to be extended endlessly. Thus, time in his paintings appears both ephemeral and eternal at the same time.
In the same way that a caesura creates an emphasis through silence, Kim tries to attain a strong awareness of existence through stillness. Kim believes that “the fundamental fear of human existence lies in our inability to clearly recognize our own existence. Only in a state of solitude one can look deeper into oneself.” Through painting, he tries to reach the almost impossible state of being entirely himself.
In Zen meditation, one has to concentrate on the here and now in order to have greater self-awareness. One should try not to be carried away by strong thoughts, but to look objectively at the present reality. Kim wants to perceive the world in this way. This is why his paintings are based on the sceneries of the real world, while his intention is to look into the inner self. Instead of making expressive images by using dynamic brushstrokes or altering shapes, he portrays the world as he sees it in reality.
And yet, through his own painting process, he creates original images that differ from photographs. On this point he wrote: “I don’t deconstruct the shape of the object. Through the composition of the picture I strive for a static state. I try to avoid three-dimensional illusions as much as possible and to express the objects flat.” Hence, Kim’s paintings do not make strong statements. They appear neutral. Even when there is an object in the center of his painting, it does not dominate the scene, but rather seems to be an integral part of its surroundings. Kim also slightly blurs the borders with his brushstrokes, creating a subtly unclear image. This allows the viewer to gaze at the entire scene without becoming fixated on a single focal point.
So there is an interesting contradiction in Kim’s paintings. They depict reality, but somehow seem unreal. They show what the human eyes can see, but express what the eyes cannot see. As a result, although Kim has painted the external reality, the viewer’s perception is not limited to the exterior. This makes Kim’s paintings alive and open. At Piano Insel, the scenes of his paintings will be perceived in different ways and generate a unique energy through the encounter with music. While appreciating his paintings, viewers will be able to look into their own inner selves in the moment of caesura.
Written by Kirim Nam