Together

Artist’s Notes    

Last summer, as I walked a zigzagging pilgrimage path along the coast of northern Spain, I was led to a primal experience of nature coming into my breath and me coming out of it. The sky turned the sea red, and the desire of the sea cut the rocks and entered the depths of the earth. Yellow-flowering grasses grew on the rock, and the sand and water from the waves could not escape, so they formed puddles on the rock. Inside, hundreds of tadpoles were spending their time in patience. I wondered if one tadpole was aware of the others?  I have my name written in the landscape. I became one of them.  

The chestnut trees I encountered along the way were dotted with chestnut buds that resembled the giggling cheeks of babies, and the rocks that resembled dutiful human figures that stood firmly in place. There are objects of nature that echo human’s desire, and there are gestures of humans that mirror the emotions of nature. And there are landscapes that I have never seen or heard of in this life, but which seem to remain in my memory. Reality and fantasy, despair and hope coexist. When I find a being that resembles me in nature, it becomes my home. It becomes one more friend who comforts my soul.

On Chuseok, the harvest-time of summer's endeavour. That day, a huge full moon accompanied me on my way, although I could not see it. Maybe that's why I felt like I was getting full and swelling up. Suddenly, I felt full. Like I was about to burst. I felt like I needed to let out, little by little, what had grown up inside me. 

I hoped to free the landscapes and impressions that were ripening inside me. So instead of walking further, I went back to my place and started painting again.

Vienna, 2nd July 2025 

Sung Min Kim