Entrepreneur-artist Ci Kim finds solace in art

Artist Ci Kim poses in front of his coffee stain works on display at his 10th solo exhibition "Voice of Harmony" at Arario Gallery Cheonan in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. Courtesy of Arario Gallery

By Kwon Mee-yoo

Some people might think lightly of Ci Kim's dedication to art as the hobby of a millionaire, but he shows how art can be cherished and can enrich one's life in his monumental 10th exhibition "Voice of Harmony" at Arario Gallery Cheonan, opened in May.

Also known as Kim Chang-il, Kim wears multiple hats ― a self-made millionaire, art collector and self-taught artist.

"My double-facedness torments me and I often had fits or scream alone in my Jeju residence. I am a keen but timid person and everything I hear sounds like the beat of music. When the sound became dissonant, I get stressed and sometimes I destroyed canvases," Kim said.

Even his family opposed him collecting and practicing art, blaming art for his agony.

"As time passed, I got used to the discord and the sound in my head started to harmonize and I felt like a maestro. That is why I named this exhibit Voice of Harmony, so audiences can listen to the harmony of life and soul," Kim said. "The process of art is healing for me. This is the unearned income of art."

It has been 16 years since he held his first solo exhibition in 2003 and now he holds solo exhibitions almost every two years.

"I cannot work on the same theme for over two years. I just can't stand it," he explained.

"Untitled" 2018 by Ci Kim / Courtesy of Arario Gallery

For his 10th exhibition, Kim brought out some 100 works, ranging from paintings and sculptures to photographs, and neon light and readymade objects.

For Kim, all kinds of trivial objects around him can be art. A new series of works revealed at this exhibition consists of coffee stains on canvas.

"My doctor told me that caffeine is not good for me, but I tend to buy large cups of coffee. I drink a little coffee and the rest usually ends up on my studio carpet, already stained and smudged," Kim said. "The coffee stains struck my mind and I experimented scattering coffee on canvas, strong and weak."

Kim works with a wide range of materials as he seeks to amplify what he wants to express. The artist placed frozen blueberries on canvas to create darkened dots and traces, taking inspiration from his kitchen. He also mixed acrylic paint and adhesive to maintain the smooth and shiny surface that acrylic paint has before it dries.

"It is interesting to explore because each material gives a certain finish and texture," he said.

Installation view of Ci Kim's "Voice of Harmony" at Arario Gallery Cheonan / Courtesy of Arario Gallery

Kim's bronze sculptures are hyper-realistic. He picked up a weathered piece of polystyrene in front of his Jeju studio and reproduced it in bronze. At first glance, it is difficult to tell whether it is polystyrene or bronze.

"I want the viewers to think about the boundary between reality and illusion."

In terms of business, Kim is a man of resource. He began with a small stall at a bus terminal in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province and developed his business. He now owns the terminal, a department store next to it, as well as art galleries and museums in Seoul, Jeju and Cheonan.

"I started collecting art in 1978 and it changed my life completely. So I established Arario Gallery to discover new artists and change their lives," Kim said.

Kim shared his solo exhibition space with 19-year-old art student Song Ji-min, a painter and photographer.

"Song has this suppressed desire for expression, which is necessary in order to produce art. I bought one of her paintings for my collection," Kim said.

Installation view of Ci Kim's "Voice of Harmony" at Arario Gallery Cheonan / Courtesy of Arario Gallery

Kim's signature neon work consists of his motto ― "I would enter the beautiful world of dreams those that are expressed in my art."

"This explains the reason I started to make art. People asked me why I practice art since I started painting in 1999 and I prepared the answer in neon works," he said.

For more information, visit www.arariogallery.com or call 041-551-5100.

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