KIM Sung Jin: 'Masquerade' (Gangnam)    Jun 3 - Jun 20, 2010

This is Kim's latest solo exhibition since 2007, and we can see that Kim is seeking variations of his lip motif which he has adhered to for more than a decade. He imported image of water, candles, books, hair and Pierrot. Even on a close-up face, the lips are slightly deemphasized while the cheeks receive the main spotlight. With this, we can better concentrate on his painterly technique which was previously deemphasized with the protruded sensual eroticism of lips. The woman is painted in profile; the lips now almost border the canvas frame. Such composition arouses strong emotional resonance. Kim uses pale oil painting colors and paints in light strokes. Facing his works, we discover the skin of the figure corresponds to the skin (surface) of the painting. While Kim's previously painted lips stirred us with provocative sensualism, now slightly defocused lips steer our attention to the depth of the skin and the profundity of the painting. His brushstrokes are endearing and consoling touches that are best produced after numerous painstaking painterly touches. With this, he creates a place where the surface of the canvas and the figure's skin converge.