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 Artist Duck-Yong Kim received his B.F.A. and M.F.A. from Seoul National University and his works are exhibited in National Museum of Modern Art and Park Soo-Gun Museum. He is one of the Asia's up and coming artist that prestigious auction houses such as Christie's is interested in. Drawing from his oriental painting background he works mainly with wood. It is a material that is close to Mother Nature. And in the process of carving and sculpting, and painting or attaching objects onto this natural material with his hands, he breathes life into it. The content of his artwork affectionately displays anonymous people or objects gracefully. And in this way, his works force us to look into our natural selves. The woods used in his artwork are product time and efforts put into finding such wood that seem to tell their own tales. Some of these may have come from old torn down wooden homes, or a part of furniture that may carry memories of its owners. As if to collage these woods, the attached cotton adds to the fascinating tale. Moreover, the very time worn traces and marks on the wood act as a bridge that connects present to the past. Just as Duck-Yong Kim states that his work is a product of his heart not his craftsmanship, his artwork resonates with parts of our nostalgic hearts. | |
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-Sin Ae Kim (Art Historian) | |
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To view works by Kim, Duck-Yong is to experience a serene world of contemporary Korean art with a strong representation of traditional culture. From the first encounter, it is evident that Kim's intent is to soothe, embrace and inspire. The painting onto the carefully and poetically carved old Korean wood panels is spiritually subtle and beautifully natural.
His paintings consist of a series of various common portraits on prepared pieces of wood. The grain of the wood provides an uplifting texture, breathing life into the faces. At times Kim will keep the original traces attached to the wood in his works which capture a moment or duration of time past - the past which has accumulated through the wood and ourselves to allow for the present. As the paintings are done on wood, the panels have a mass as if being hung as sculpture for the space it encompasses. This mass also adds to the maturity of Kim's works which increasingly find their own statement. There seems to be the right balance of creating art and yet respecting the natural state. Kim, Duck-Yong's works have achieved an artistic level that is universal in its statement and appeal yet also infused with Korean aesthetics. | |
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-Garett Marshall (Art critic)
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