A Life of Enchantment

A review of Lines of Enchantment, Wonsook Kim's exhibition at Illinois State University.

                With one look at Wonsook Kim’s work, the meaning of the title Lines of Enchantment becomes abundantly clear. My eyes went first to the wall of six large paintings depicting beautiful fairy tale-like settings filled with mysterious floating lights and figures composed of fluid, graceful lines. The group of “Shadow Drawings,” bronze figures created in outline which cast shadows on the wall as if they were drawn on, is similarly captivating.

3 of the "Forest Scene" paintings

Wall of Shadow Drawings

               

           Kim was born in Korea and moved to the U.S. in order to study at Illinois State University. Whether she is creating paintings, prints, or bronze sculptures, one can always find the same loose lines and similar figures. She also uses recurring symbols such as shelters or small boats alone on the water, in order to reflect the journey of life and the longing that comes along with it.

The exhibition at University Galleries features Kim’s more recent work, from 2008 to 2015, as well as her very early work from 1973-76. The six attention-grabbing paintings known as “Forest Scenes” take up the right wall. The front wall is devoted to large scale Shadow Drawings. The remaining two walls of the gallery are covered with multiple, mostly smaller works. One, on the left when entering the gallery, is a mix of small bronze sculptures, house-shaped paintings on wood, and white and blue paintings done by applying a thick, textured layer of white paint to a blue surface, then scraping away lines to reveal the blue. The remaining wall is where Kim’s early work can be found. These are black-and-white prints and drawings, mixed among more recent Shadow Drawings.

Catcher in the Forest (2010)
and
Drawing in the Light II (2012)

Forest Scenes II (2008)

The wall of smaller works

The decision to include this older work really added another dimension to the exhibit. These drawings are in some ways a harsh contrast from the rest of the work, especially the gentle paintings. While the figures still bore Kim’s trademark flowing lines, some of the works also contained harsher, more nervous lines. These lines combined with the dark ink and charcoal, brought a darker, slightly ominous feeling into the show.

Wall containing early work and Shadow Paintings

Close-up of several of these works

Feather Feather (1975)
and Black Mirror I (1974)

Considering the artist’s desire to portray life and longing, this work provides interesting insight into thinking about how her life may have influenced the development of her art. The early prints and drawings were produced during her study at Illinois State. This was when she recently moved, and would have been feeling that loneliness most strongly. Her more recent work seems more lighthearted, filled with joyful, dancing figures and glowing lights.

Including those darker pieces also allowed me to view the others in light of this. It is possible to look at the paintings and Shadow Drawings and be so focused on their “enchantment” that one sees only this charming, dreamlike quality. After I saw those prints, I started to see that somber quality reflected in some of the other pieces. The Shadow Drawing Eyes on Me (2011) depicts a woman sitting with eyes all around her. The piece is slightly eerie and evokes the idea of people judging this woman. The Shadow Drawing next to it, Silence (2014), portrays a bust of another woman, this time with her hand over her face, perhaps in grief. One of the white paintings, Shadow Talk (2014), outlines a woman holding hands with her shadow, her head bowed. Perhaps the shadow is someone she has lost in her life.­

Silence (2014)

Eyes on Me (2011)

Shadow Talk (2014)

While Wonsook Kim’s work is beautiful however you view it, I really admire the decision to include her early pieces in this exhibition. It helped me to look deeper into her work and gain a fuller appreciation of it as an enchanting representation of life, during the good times as well as the bad.