JAESEOK K
I
M
530 West 25th Street, New York, NY
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Jaeseok Kim has been interested in art from a young age, beginning his artistic career later in his life when his wife encouraged him to start painting as a means of leisure. Kim quickly discovered an immense passion for painting and has continued to develop his creative process producing textured, abstracted work that juxtaposes light and shadow, as well as the delicate in contrast to sharp forms. Kim aims to create a dialogue about the modern world through his work; addressing pervasive themes of loneliness, mechanization, corruption, and competition. His color palette and gestural compositions exude hope while reflecting on the difficulties of human life.
V I E W J A E S E O K K I M O N A G O R A G A L L E RY
Memento Mori 1, 2021 Mixed Media on Canvas 36” x 48” $ 3 9 0 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
RIP to the Lives Lost to COVID19, 2021 Mixed Media on Canvas 36” x 48” $ 3 1 5 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
Memento Mori 2, 2021 Mixed Media on Canvas 36” x 48” $ 3 1 5 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
Blossom 19-02, 2019 Acrylic on Canvas 36” x 28.5” $ 2 4 5 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
Secret Garden 2, 2019 Acrylic on Canvas 28.5” x 36” $ 2 4 5 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
Isles 19-4, 2019 Acrylic & Coffee Grounds on Canvas 31.5” x 46”
$ 2 9 5 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
Isles 2020-01, 2020 Acrylic on Canvas 36” x 29” $ 2 4 0 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
Isles 2020-02, 2020 Acrylic on Canvas 36” x 29” $ 2 4 0 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
Isles 19-1, 2019 Acrylic on Canvas 36” x 28.5” $ 2 4 5 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
Isles 19-1, 2019 Acrylic & Coffee Grounds on Canvas 36” x 46” $ 3 1 0 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
Where Are You Going 19-11, 2019 Acrylic & Coffee Grounds on Canvas 46” x 72.5”
$ 4 5 0 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
Where Are You Going 18-02, 2018 Acrylic on Canvas 36” x 28.5” $ 2 4 5 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
Alzheimer’s (Vanishing), 2020 Acrylic on Canvas 46” x 32” $ 3 0 0 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
Four Seasons, 2018 Acrylic on Canvas 36” x 28.5” $ 2 4 5 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
Fashion Show, 2020 Acrylic on Canvas 36” x 46” $ 3 3 0 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
Journey 19-2, 2018 Acrylic on Canvas 28.5” x 48”
$ 2 9 0 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
Sway, 2019 Acrylic on Canvas 28.5” x 36” $ 2 4 5 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
Once Upon a Time In Paris (1), 2019 Acrylic on Canvas 36” x 28.5” $ 2 4 5 0 – B U Y O N A RT-M I N E.C O M
I have spent my life pushing away the thought of death; as if it were something remote which could only happen to others. When the COVID-19 pandemic washed over the planet in the first half of 2020, death continued to be an unpleasant, yet distant thought. Until people around me started to die. First Agora Gallery’s Art Director Eleni Cocordas; then my father in Chicago, during my solo exhibition in Seoul. It struck me like lightning on a clear day. Death had caught up with me and I could no longer ignore it. Countless innocent people die every day, whether from disease or war. These deaths are not only theirs; they are ours as well. In the words of John Donne “Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.” In the wake of the pandemic, I have realized that my life and my art needed to be different. My latest series uncovers the ghosts I have pushed to the bottom of my consciousness. I selected photos of moss-covered tombstones taken with my phone, printed them out, pasted them on a canvas, covered them up, brought them back to life, and engraved names on top of them. I titled two of my paintings after an ancient Latin epigram, memento mori, which means “remember you must die.” They feature names of poets, artists, philosophers and others who died throughout history; Eleni’s name is also present. RIP to the Lives Lost to COVID-19 is dedicated to the lives sacrificed to COVID-19. The image of my frozen tears recalls the refrigerated trucks in front of New York hospitals in March 2020. I had the feeling that everything was frozen and I still do today. I have realized, however, that death is not the end of life. Rather, it transforms into another medium and remains in the universe. It remains in our memories and comes back to life.
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