KIM Seungyeon

Kim Seung-yeon’s “small creations” are, on the one hand, poetic and romantic, yet the cities he constructs exist as forgotten nocturnal landscapes, revealed through the concept of darkness. However, through art, these landscapes are exposed, allowing them to sustain life with minimal distortion. Although the theme of landscape had been somewhat forgotten in contemporary art, Kim Seung-yeon attempts a new departure from the corporeality of these forgotten elements. The perception of landscapes as mere remnants of the Romantic era or the exclusive domain of Impressionism undergoes a gentle reinterpretation through his work.

When categorizing Kim Seung-yeon’s works by period, his work up until the 1980s primarily focused on an intensive exploration of Manhattan’s historic buildings, which he had become familiar with during his studies in New York. While New York is often cited as a symbolic hub of functionalist architecture when discussing the relationship between function and form in modern architecture, Kim Seung-yeon deliberately avoided modernist buildings and instead chose to focus on historical structures.

Street Landscape-8905, 1989, mezzotint, 25X32cm

This work requires a precise understanding of architectural structures. The aspects Kim Seung-yeon emphasizes in his work are not the overall framework but rather the joints between stones, window grilles, and the points where the building meets the ground. As a result, while his pieces may appear as solid masses no different from photographs, he breathes extreme vitality into specific elements, reinvigorating traditional architecture and reminding us that it is not merely a relic of the past but a living part of the present.

Street Landscape-9002, 1990, mezzotint. 30x40cm

While Renaissance architecture constructed a world of light and shadow through rational design, Kim Seung-yeon imbued classical structures and chiaroscuro with a painterly quality. If 19th-century painting was characterized by an endless exploration of light and color accompanied by a consistent scale, the 20th century marked a methodological shift toward generating dramatic effects from smaller elements.

Kim Seung-yeon’s works titled Street Landscape primarily depict 19th-century buildings in Manhattan, such as cathedrals and monuments. His choice of historical architecture as a subject likely stems from its distinct formal characteristics, with pronounced differentiation and visually prominent elements such as arches and window railings. The artist’s keen observational skills and sensitivity guide the viewer’s gaze toward these focal points, and one could argue that the evolution of art history itself is defined by the transformation of such visual protrusions.

Installation View

In contrast, Kim Seung-yeon’s works from the 1990s replaced New York landscapes with scenes of Seoul. A key difference is that while his New York landscapes depicted bright daylight with stark contrasts of light and shadow, his Seoul landscapes are all nocturnal scenes. Furthermore, instead of focusing on designated landmarks such as cathedrals or monuments, he chose unspecified locations within the metropolis of Seoul. Whereas his works from the 1980s presented clear examples of specific subjects, those from the 1990s shifted toward the selection of more anonymous objects.

Night Landscape-20082,2008, Mezzotint, 60X30cm

The highly universal and conceptual title Nightscape is defined by three distinct themes.

First, by focusing on elements such as hospital signs, church lights, and supermarket billboards, the works capture the nocturnal city as a site of rehearsed vitality—where the sleeping metropolis remains alive—or as a stage for capitalism’s ever-moving culture of consumption.

Second, large buildings irregularly rising within residential areas are brought to life through contrasts of light and shadow, transforming them into monstrous forms that seem to emerge from the darkness.

Third, the works depict the city’s alleys. In their nature, small urban alleyways become even less visible at night. Towering skyscrapers obscure them, and the dense forests of apartment complexes further erase their presence, effectively dissolving the existence of these alleyways.

Night Landscape-20052, 2005, Mezzotint, 60X30cm

Night Landscape-9712, 1997, Mezzotint, 60X40cm

Kim Seung-yeon’s “small creations” are, on the one hand, poetic and romantic, yet the cities he constructs exist as forgotten nocturnal landscapes, revealed through the concept of darkness. However, through art, these landscapes are exposed, allowing them to sustain life with minimal distortion. Although the theme of landscape had been somewhat forgotten in contemporary art, Kim Seung-yeon attempts a new departure from the corporeality of these forgotten elements. The perception of landscapes as mere remnants of the Romantic era or the exclusive domain of Impressionism undergoes a gentle reinterpretation through his work.

Duru artspace
5, Jahamun-ro 45-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, South Korea
02 720 0345

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