Sun Kim (painter)

 

It is always hard to meet someone who you can look up to for barometer. Mostly, we approach the words of or about the master minds to realize how great they were; only then we start admiring and appreciating the essence. We also feel blessed as we get to discuss issues with real heart with those great men.

 

Kang in my life had been such an influence. Perhaps the reason for my occupation can be attributed to his teachings and advices which I endeavored to follow. He shook my world and upended life to turn me into who I am today. He neither cared to drive me or to push me to achieve my ideal; rather he lived his own ideal. And I know his aides know me because I was with Kang for more than 20 years.

 

It was back in 1971 when I was informed by my senior graduate ‘Un Yeo’ about the print class run by Kang as well as Sangyoo Kim, Kulim Kim and Chanseung Chan. I took the class alongside roughly ten others including Yeo himself, Meehwa Kim (who was a graduate school student), Bongjin Kim etc. The main point of the lessons was about etching techniques and silkscreen. And it is important at this point to mention the reality of our art world, especially of printed art, although I am not an art historian. But as a person who saw and experienced the scene from the very beginning, and of course in the context of what I am arguing for, it is definitely worth a tab.

 

As we set to compare today with the 70s, it is difficult to believe the old days were so bad. At postsecondary level, there were only few months out of 48 specifically arranged for printing, and there were not many good teachers either. This inferiority stretches to the 80s.

 

Without a profound sense of mission and duty, it was almost impossible to do prints. And when they did, they mostly resorted to silkscreen, largely because it was commercial, thereby was relatively easier to attain necessary resources. Not only that, it was done on woods, and etching and lithography proved overwhelmingly technical in contrary.

 

Prints, by the fundamental trait, are highly reliant on perfect provision on materials. If one is missing, the right expression can never come about. None of the necessary materials are domestically produced, nor importing them has never been facilitated. Thus printers had to try to get the most appropriate stuff, only ending up using materials with similar properties from printing factories at Chungyechun or chemical product stores. Even upon getting those products by tracing rumors or advertisements, it was taken by printers as such a precious resource that they can never choose to use prodigally that they just didn’t use it, letting the ink for example to go stiffened and congealed. The pressing machine had to be crafted by ourselves.

 

Kang also built his own machine and made his own drypoints, needles, scrapers and burnishers from an iron foundry. Basically, the situation was anything but bad. What we have now would have never come about if it weren’t these hardships. In terms of the history of printing in Korea, you may argue there were other [etching] print makers like Hangsung Lee, Sanguk Lee and Sangyoo Kim (who was devoted exclusively on etching). But with respect to the diffusion of printing as an artistic culture, the role of Teacher Kang as well as Kulim Kim and Seungwon Seo was pivotal.

 

I voluntarily did cleaning up the workroom even though I wasn’t told. It was quite risky for me at that time considering my position vis-a-vis his status as a teacher and a great senior. But I think it was meant to be, since he started noticing my effort to be noticed, assigning me some specific tasks and asking for assistance. He also took me out to join in for conversations with his mates. This was great because I got to know many fellow artists and consequently made my university career. I especially remember the late Gilung Park, Chanseung Jung and Myunghwan Oh who used to work at a broadcasting station, perhaps conferring art issues in the celestial city. And among others, I still maintain ties with Han Kim, Taeshin Choi, Youngsub Han, Un Yeo and many more.

 

He never really mentioned anything about his works. I say we rather felt it. I discuss less art than other interests such as hiking and travelling. As we did a lot of things together, I more or less relied most of my matters in life on him, gratefully being the perhaps biggest beneficiary of his influence.

 

Kang held three personal print exhibitions: one in 1975 at Grorich galley where he put on display mezzotint technique; the second in 1978 at Hankuk gallery on lithography; and another lithography exhibition in 1987 at Ujung museum’. Mezzotint is a technique so sophisticated that only a handful print makers of the current generation use, and many students avoid doing such prints. Taken for granted that Kang was a remarkable adventurer trying to experiment various mode of expression ? happening, installation etc. he was constantly on trial.

 

Tough leisure activities such as hiking and skiing, as being my favorites, were among his favorite things to do, and this perhaps also tells something about his adventurous character. On the other hand, I could see the lyrical side of his artistic nature in the Grorich gallery exhibition for which he mostly displayed island in sea landscape at night, although mezzotint is a technique well-suited for dark products. The only inconvenient shortcoming was that he couldn’t get enough resources together to mark the top notch in showing the technique’s high-level epitome.

 

The second print featured a lot of colorful flowers, women in nude using lithography, but again only showing the gist of the multicolor lithography technique for the same reason. After that was ‘The flow of light’ series, another lithography exhibition in an improved manner.

The third one in particular was note worthy because there are many signs which I reckon he employed in order to shorten the gap with the audience. But public awareness on printed art was no match of Kang, rendering the resulting recognition unsatisfactory.

 

On the bright side however, such pioneering works were important as print classes increased in number and ‘Modern Print Artist Association Korea’ was established. I still haven’t figured out why, but Teacher Kang told me that he would not continue doing prints and had decided not to participate in the ‘Modern Print Artist Association Korea’ exhibition. If I had to guess, it might be that he was unhappy deep down about the whole circumstances in our printing environment in general.

As I now come to look back on his career sorting out his works, I see a lot of fine print works with added hand paintings, bucking textbook directions. I also admire the ‘Seoul Bangbub Jun’ (Seoul Exhibition of Method) which still rolls under the name of ‘Bangbub Jun of eleven artists’ (1977), and his spirit definitely remains in it. Its beginning was marked by Kang, Sun Kim, Jungsoo Kim, Yongchul Kim, Han Kim, Hongju Kim, Neungkyung Sung, Hakchul Shin, Kunyong Lee, Hyochang Hwang ? one member didn’t participate. The point of the exhibition was not to arrange exhibitions for the regular members of some group; rather the exhibition was planned to select an ad hoc group of 11 artists with no binding forces, hence the multifariousness.

 

Those days were when a particular group of artists had vested interest in expanding their sphere of influence by opening some exhibitions so as to use art as an instrument of their politicization. ‘Bangbub Jun’ therefore had the urge to represent artists who had no place to stand in Seoul stage, or some artists with no notable social capital, progressively solidifying such an image. Kang also exhibited their works outside the country, provided chances for them to learn lessons abroad and facilitated interchange exhibitions.

 

The only catch was that there wasn’t enough domestic recognition. Granted, the original purpose wasn’t for the recognition, but it is almost agonizing and frustrating to see such heartlessness.

There are some artists from the ‘Bangbub Jun’ who moved on to make mark of themselves today. I don’t know precisely how they perceive the past endeavors, but the main theme of the exhibition still remains the same, and always will be.

As I prepare for the posthumous show of Kang after three years since his death, it still feels as if he is still with us, working on to reach the very ideal that he helped us understand and follow. I can no longer drain the cup with him, but when ‘The 3rd anniversary exhibition in memory of Kukjin Kang’ is wrapped up, I shall go hiking to Jiri Mountain and visit ‘Chilsun Valley’ alone. No, in fact, with him next to me.

 

 

Yangja Hwang, Kukjin Kang (Printpia: Seoul, Korea, 1995, pp. 292-293)