In her Project Room exhibition “Transparent Walls” Jung-joo Kim is constructing fragments of various two-dimensional structures. In her new work created during the residency in Helsinki, the focus has shifted from the monumental three-dimensional urban patterns of her previous work to sequential compositions of walls and grids, reflections on two-dimensionality and explorations of the physicality and
conceptual nature of space.

A grid is a pattern of vertical and horizontal lines crossing each other and forming squares, as is found in a perfect Newtonian world. It can be perceived as a network connecting knots, an image revealed by recurring cells or interlacing lines, a transparent wall, a physical barrier or a conceptual formation extending through the perimeters of matter. Jung-joo Kim´s exhibition can be seen an experiment on grid-like structures with an intention to get variant results.

“The most important influence on my art is the experience of space, especially the outdoor and indoor shapes of buildings. I grew up in small apartments and schools made of reinforced concrete like most city kids. I feel complex emotions when I am faced with towering apartment buildings, wide highways or other massive structures, like the bridge crossing the Han River. They impress me while also making me feel nervous and dispirited. The rigid shapes give me both a sense of security and a feeling of oppressed restriction. I am interested in their power of influence on people and seek to define these contrasting emotions caused by them.”

Jung-joo Kim´s residency is organised within an ongoing residency exchange programme between HIAP and IASK – National Art Studio, South Korea, supported by FRAME Finnish Fund for Art Exchange.