59th Arario’s Kim Helps Nurture Global Korean Artists
By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter
A handful of Korean contemporary artists are slowly attracting attention on the global art scene, but there's a lack of superstar Korean artists who can rival the name recognition of some of their Japanese and Chinese counterparts.
But all this could change in just a few years time with the help of Arario Gallery founder, businessman and artist Kim Chang-il. One of his dreams is to discover Korean artists who will take the global art scene by storm.
``Young British Artists (YBAs) like Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin were responsible for opening new fields in contemporary art in England. Will Korea ever have those 10 or 15 artists like Hirst and Emin who opened the doors for new art? It's very important. I don't think Korea has that right now… The role of Arario is to find that artist who can make a name for himself globally, instead of doing just OK nationally. We should support them to make better and better art,'' Kim told The Korea Times, at his office in Arario Gallery in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.
Arario Gallery is one of the biggest art galleries in Korea, with its main branch in Cheonan, plus branches in Seoul, Beijing and New York.
The 58-year-old made his fortune with a transport company and department store in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. He also became famous for his almost extravagant spending on art, even stirring controversy in Korea's art circles after buying Hirst's ``Hymn'' for $1.6 million in 2002, at a time when few Koreans even knew who Hirst was. But now, he's considered one of the most influential people in the art world.
Kim began collecting art in 1978, and opened a gallery on the fifth floor of his department store in Cheonan in 1989, but it was closed in 1999. He decided a bigger space was needed, so in 2002 he inaugurated Arario Gallery, a five-storey building with 32,027 square feet of exhibition space, located next to the department store.
Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, Arario Gallery has amassed a significant collection of works by renowned artists, including Marc Quinn's ``Self" made of his own blood, and Hirst's ``Hymn" which can be found in a glass box outside the gallery.
``When I bought Hymn, everyone told me I was crazy and stupid. It was a hard time for me. But it was also the point when my business started making profits, so I wanted to give something back to the citizens of Cheonan… I feel closer to Cheonan, which has helped me,'' Kim said.
Looking back at how he started Arario Gallery and his art collection, Kim noted Korean people did not have any interest in collecting or investing in art.
``Nobody was interested in investing in art before. At first I wanted to make a museum, but I realized in modern art the role of a gallery is more important than a museum. The role of the gallery is to search for artists, support them, work with them and create history together,'' he said.
Arario Gallery is also known for taking young artists into its fold with its artist residency program. Artists under Arario include Lee Dong-wook, Lee Hyung-koo, Osang Gwon and Jeon Joon-ho as well as Chinese artists Wang Guangyi, Fang Lijin and Yang Shaobin. Kim believes that by helping these artists nurture their talent, they can become great.
He further explained the relationship between the artist and art system using the analogy of four tires on a vehicle. Each wheel represents the artist, dealer, gallery and collector, which work with each other to move the vehicle forward.
With his galleries in New York and Beijing, Kim hopes to create a platform to introduce Asian artists to an international audience.
``I traveled all over the world in those years, and I felt art in Asia needed stronger support … Bringing Asian art to the West is very important. That's why we opened a gallery in New York and Beijing, so there's more interaction with the international market… Cheonan, Seoul, New York and Beijing are all important elements in creating a stable platform. Step by step, we are working to reach our goal. New York is difficult, but if we can't succeed there, then there's no future for Arario,'' he said.
Art & Business
Art and business are the only two things that Kim says he knows about. He majored in business in college, and made a successful company, but art was also a passion.
After buying and selling art for years, Kim realized he also wanted to become an artist and began working under the name Ci Kim. In his 10 years as an artist, Kim held five solo shows, including one at the Union Project in London and ``To Make a Rainbow'' this year at Arario Gallery.
Kim, who counts Marcel Duchamp as one of his influences, has a unique view of what art is. While walking around his studio, he pointed to an artwork with the number 0416 upside down.
. ``I was walking my dogs in the morning in Jeju. Outside the studio, I noticed the number 0416 on the pavement. On my way back, I looked at the numbers from the opposite side, and it looked like 9140… For me, that is art," he said.
Kim has quite a jovial personality, as he walked The Korea Times through his studio. His experimental nature is revealed with various pieces of artwork, such as a giant heart-shaped Guy Lian chocolate box, a tomato-splattered self-portrait, a painting with old Korea Times newspapers and a portrait of U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama.
Asked if he wanted to be known as a businessman, art collector or artist, without hesitation Kim replied, ``An artist.''
As an artist, Kim admitted he is still learning and experimenting with different works. ``I'm still a baby. I'm trying and trying… The fact that I'm doing art right now seems strange since I wasn't making art from a young age. I just started making art. I'm curious where it will take me in the future. Knowing that, I can't sit still. I have to keep on working," he said.
One would think Kim would be able to enjoy his successful business and art collection, but he still has more dreams he wants to fulfill, such as building a museum some day. ``I think I have a dream virus," he laughed.
Still, Kim is surprised at how much he has already achieved in his life so far.
``Sometimes, I wake up and realize I'm right in the middle of the mountain (representing success) and I'm surprised. I've never studied abroad, my business isn't based in Seoul and it's not a global corporation. So how can someone like me be already in the middle of the mountain? When I look back, there are steps I took, all these failures and experiences, they all became the stairs to climb up,'' he said.
``But I can still see more stairs to climb in the future.''