The Colors of Light – Crystal and OLED
As the concept of art evolved into more complex and various shapes and forms coming in modern times, many artists that awaken the senses of people in various ways have appeared. In such process, artists have begun using new and different materials and even painters on planes began using sculptures, installations and other dimensional materials to traverse freely with other fields and mediums to show more diverse and sensual arts.
I am also an ‘artist’, who paints with new senses using uncommon or new materials. In addition to paints, I also use gems on the canvas. I use crystals, a gem found in everyday life and which cannot be easily overlooked by women to create a sparkling painting by attaching various colors and sizes of the canvas like paint.
Swarovski Crystals attached to paintings to shine and sparkle – Work detail 1,2
In this work, each gem with different colors becomes tiny units that make up the painting to fill up the space and complete the painting. The success of the work depends on whether the color and property of gems can be felt fully, while the gems are absorbed well into the painting to express a piece completely.
This painting of new senses built over a span of more than 15 years, which I call ‘crystal painting’, is characterized by adding the charming material of crystals on paintings to harmoniously express the various colors of paints and gems to maximize contrast of light and darkness. It is important in my artwork to include the depth of light and darkness, which is the basic element of making contrast, while also maximizing the effects of the colors and lights that are different for each gem.
ARTIFICIAL LANDSCAPE– Utopia 8, 162.4 x 130.3 cm, Mixed media & Swarovski’s cut crystals on canvas, 2013
My works that are finally completed then put on display at exhibitions for the public to see, and looking at the works in reality and through a digital image is clearly different. For example, when I receive requests from the media to cover my works in their articles, which I am always grateful for, there is always a sense of disappointment when I hand over images of my works. This is because no matter how well the photo or video is taken, the beautiful and mysterious visual aura of ‘crystal painting’ cannot be fully conveyed through monitors when compared to seeing it in real life. The unique colors and vividness of lights in crystals, which appear differently depending on the positioning of lights must be captured accurately, and this is possible only when the configured colors are expressed accurately.
Recently one day, I became interested in OLED, which completely shows the clarity of colors. Each and every tiny self-illuminating pixel gives off light in OLED, thus maximizing depth of contrast, while also expressing more accurate and authentic colors. Such efforts of OLED appear to be similar to the context of my works to fill up a canvas with clear colors and lights of each crystal gem.
ARTIFICIAL LANDSCAPE– Luminous Crystal 2, 194.0 x 194.0 cm, Mixed media & Swarovski’s cut crystals on canvas, 2018. (JTBC Drama main works in episodes 7,13, and 14)
When I saw my works through OLED, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it as it basically quenched my thirst relating to digital images. I was surprised to see that the deep contrast could not only display the vivid colors, but also express the dimensions of the crystals. My works, which can include hundreds of thousands of gems, emit unique lights when receiving lights and by combining with the paint in the painting, it adds a beautiful luminous effect. In particular, the work is added with depth according to the viewing angle of the audience depending on the position of lights reflected off the crystal cut into 28 sides, and this offers a mysterious impression that sways like the moving aura of the North Pole.
OLED accurately configures the impressions of panorama completed by the different colors emitted by the numerous crystals and it vividly conveys this feeling as if seeing the work in real life. This is like a harmony in which the OLED self-emissive pixels create their own clear colors to be completed like the crystals in my work. After viewing it for a while, I start to look at the OLED from different perspectives as if mistaking it for the actual work thanks to the clear colors. Furthermore, it is very thin for a TV and I naturally began to think about new ideas to maximize the luminosity of my works using this appliance for my works someday.
Artists in today’s age filled with visual spectacles will take on challenges for works that can stimulate various senses, while attempting to visually configure their differences with others. They will also want to properly convey the real feeling of their works. Even artists who are not in special works like myself will probably have the same concerns as me to create the best artwork. OLED did not ignore such desire of artists and has given a new driving force to artists, and so I have high expectations of OLED on how it will satisfy artists in the future.
JONGSOOKKIM, 1968~
– Hongik University Graduate School of Painting, PhD
– Hongik University College of Fine Arts Department of Painting Bachelor’s and Graduate School Master’s
Press Coverage
– [Artfix Daily Artwire™] Inaugural Asia Week New York Contemporary Debuts May 2-10 (Apr 4, 2017)
– [The New York Times] 10 Things to Do in NYC Now (Mar 11, 2017)
– [Art Radar] Crystal Method | Swarovski, Kim Jong-Sook & Elaine Yan Ling Ng (Apr 6, 2016)
– [VISUAL ARTS TODAY] Artnet Auctions Presents: Almost Famous: Emerging Asian Art (Jun 18, 2013), etc.
– [JTBC Drama] Sky Castle Art Wall (2018~2019)
Sponsor
– Swarovski Korea, Swarovski Austria
ARTIFICIAL LANDSCAPE– Golden Picture, 130.3 x 194.4 cm, Mixed media & Swarovski’s cut crystals on canvas, 2014
Work carried a New York Times’ article in 2017
