The Art and Methods Used in KIMSOOJA Unfolding

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Textiles works are the most important works that represents Asian countries. Mostly all the textile works are exported to western countries from Asia, because textile works are very famous in Asia especially in Korea. One of the most famous Korean artists, Kimsooja’s works is based on fabrics that were sewn out of colorful clothing from thread and ink. Recently when I went at the show KIMSOOJA Unfolding, Vancouver Art Gallery, I got to see many remarkable textile works made by her, it seemed very beautiful seeing the whole segment of the gallery decorated with her colorful textile works.

The artist has collected Korean clothing fragments for making collage works using geometric compositions. Kimsooja is a new generation artist who abandoned paints & canvasses and chose to use everyday materials like traditional silk or cotton clothes with colorful motifs. These turned out to be her new ‘canvas’ and needle & thread has become her ‘brushes’. In 1980s, she switched these used clothing in to covers and objects and made bundles or ‘Bottari’. She then used these works in her video installations and performances. Her method of working was unique, in which she considered her own body as ‘needle or thread’ and the world as the ‘canvas’. Her performances were recorded with video camera with immense amount of energy so as to interact with the world.

In the show “Kimsooja Unfolding” at Vancouver Art Gallery, there were many incredible videos and the fabric works. But out of all those works, I consider the most interesting work is “Cities on the move- 2727 kilometer bottari truck”, a single-channel 7 minutes 33 seconds long silent video projection. In the video, the highly talented and creative Kimsooja is portraying a blue truck loaded wit...

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...es of nature and landscapes which exists or not and is considered as the black hole that attracts everyone - a mirror which reflects the complexity of the universe.

The exhibition highlights works addressing time, memories and displacements; also the relationship between human body and the material world. It includes early textile based pieces from the 1980s. Her works combined performances in videos. Themes of consumption, greed inequality and life as a spectacle are explored through a vibrantly colored media. Kimsooja is an internationally acclaimed conceptual multimedia artist. Throughout her various works, she shows interest identity, migration and common bonds that binds all the people. She believed in equality whatever be the language, tradition and culture. She is renowned for her unique creative art, which makes use of colorful fabrics in an innovative way.

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