Nampyo Kim

Nampyo Kim, Hole, Installation, Obscura

Nampyo Kim, Hole, Installation, Obscura

The upcoming exhibition “Hole” by Nampyo Kim, scheduled for May 3, has garnered both domestic and international attention for its exceptional painterly expression and original fantasy. The exhibit, rooted in the fundamental questions of the act of painting, will showcase about 60 new works characterized by the destruction of solidity, objectified bodies, and fragmented records. The term “hole” refers to a physical gap or a metaphorical path through difficulties, representing an empty state of being and essence. By creating holes in existing paintings and disrupting the interiors, the artist explores fundamental existence. The “Hole” exhibition reveals the raw essence of Kim’s painterly reality. He shares key themes such as ‘5 PM,’ ‘sexuality,’ ‘reality’ and ‘non-reality’ on his work diary Instagram account (@nampyok2), unveiling his raw, rule-free inner tastes and consciousness. His results are harrowing and unpleasant yet ironically leave a beautiful residue of color.

김남표, PM5 #2, 2024, Oil on canvas, 145.5×112.1cm

Critic Jeongwoo Choi proposes a multilayered mapping of Nampyo Kim’s painterly decisions and actions in his article “Hole as an Impossible Coordinate, the Uncertain Buoy of Painting – A Psychoanalytical Aesthetic Dedicated to Nampyo Kim’s 5 PM.” Choi does not merely ask when or why a painter paints but focuses on the time of painting, continuously questioning Nampyo Kim’s work. His writing, divided into nine chapters such as the painting of senses, de-linguistic approaches, and the presence and absence of figuration and abstraction, mirrors the layered drawings exhibited in “Hole.” The interaction between Nampyo Kim’s paintings and Jeongwoo Choi’s writing is a key component of the exhibition’s planning. With expansions into film and VR, and ongoing internal painterly explorations through real experiences, the “Hole” exhibition marks a significant point in Nampyo Kim’s journey of visual expansion.

Obscura
164, Seongbuk-ro 23-gil, Seongbuk-gu, 02879, Seoul, South Korea
+82 0507-1374-0407

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