Kim In Ok’s paintings appear deceptively simple with a pastel-colored palette. Those colors draw us in as a reminder of our childhood, of the softness of pinks, cotton candy, and brilliant emerald greens. On one level, Kim wants to present utopia, a magical place where one’s imagination can roam. Yet there is more to see and learn from her paintings.
In The Road to Hanggeum-ri, there are a grouping of trees scattered over the landscape. At first glance one can miss the roads beneath the trees and a gathering of tiny houses. One wonders if Kim is almost trying to hide the houses. On the bottom half of the artwork is a diminutive bus traveling parallel beneath the houses.
Is Kim’s art telling us of conflict, man versus nature, even though the scene appears serene? The trees and landscape are so vast, and the world of humans is miniscule. It’s as if the houses are nearly buried into the painting, suggesting how small we are in the vastness of the world, and of the expanse of the universe. Although the images appear childlike and dreamy, all is not what it seems. Within the harmony of colors and textures that are beguiling, humans are not dominant.
There’s a half hidden curving road intertwined with deep blue hills in Waiting that shows a miniature car and trees. Something feels lost. Is there a longing for a more perfect world, one in which we celebrate nature and are stewards in its preservation?
Kim paints with process in mind and delicacy in a pointillist style with a layer of dots that creates a vibrating quality. Much of Kim’s work is introverted, inviting us to look more closely at the world, to become aware of what’s hidden or what’s easy to miss. A painting The Way to Hanggeum-ri, is full of colorful trees and is one of the bolder artworks with multiple shades of green, gold and chartreuse that are packed together with small pink flowers in between. This is where Kim asserts her lush colors and says. “Look! Just look at the world and celebrate earth’s love.”
What appears simple in much of Kim In Ok’s art is a complexity that emerges in her gorgeous painting technique, with the handmade paint she uses from natural elements. There’s a message for us to contemplate. Things are not what they seem. G&S
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