This exhibition marks Heejo Kim’s second solo show in Korea since his 2020 exhibition at UART SPACE, featuring recent works based on the “Schematic Medium” concept and methodology, along with earlier works employing similar approaches.
 
Heejo Kim has established his unique concept and methodology of “Schematic Medium” through a meta-approach to fundamental visual elements: point, line, plane, shape, and color. “Schematic Medium” signifies a way of organically developing series around a central theme, creating works that evolve in an interconnected manner.
 
In this context, “schematic” is the adjectival form of “schema,” which, though commonly meaning “diagram” or “schematic representation,” refers in cognitive psychology to a “cognitive framework” or “structural pattern” for interpreting the world.
 
“Medium,” while usually meaning a “means,” “tool,” or “material,” is also used in contemporary art to describe the various forms of artistic expression, such as painting, sculpture, and objects.
 
Heejo Kim’s concept of “Schematic Medium” encompasses these meanings, unifying various genres like painting, sculpture, and objects into cohesive forms that develop organically, embodying his strategic and methodological approach.
 
The exhibition primarily presents the 〈BYR_OS〉 and 〈BYR_QUAD〉 Series, which were created after the concept of Schematic Medium was formally established. Additionally, works from earlier series, such as the 〈One Hour〉 Series, 〈Semi Circle & Nine Drawing〉 Series, and 〈Core Searching Painting〉 Series, are also displayed.
The 〈One Hour〉 Series captures the essence of a figure within a single hour through expressive oil painting, showcasing Kim’s lively and precise brushstrokes.

The 〈Semi Circle & Nine Drawing〉 Series incorporates the number “9,” symbolizing human limitations, and the half-circle, symbolizing incompletion, reflecting the artist’s repetitive, process-driven practice.

In the 〈Core Searching Painting〉 Series, fundamental colors—blue, yellow, and red—are applied to black backgrounds in thick oil layers, embodying a sense of expressionism through their intense textures.

The main pieces of this exhibition, 〈BYR_OS〉 Series and 〈BYR_QUAD〉 Series, represent Kim’s most recent work since the concept of Schematic Medium was fully established.

The 〈BYR Organic Schemata (OS) 〉 Series is comprised of selected units from the “BYR Prime Elements 99,” which have been merged and recontextualized to demonstrate an aspect of meta-conceptualism through complex structures and varied transformations.

In the 〈BYR Quad Origin〉 Series, the fundamental shapes—“Blue & Square,” “Yellow & Triangle,” and “Red & Circle”—have been combined to apply BYR’s formative principles in a minimalist and essentialist approach, emphasizing the purest and most fundamental forms in art.

This exhibition marks a pivotal moment in Heejo Kim’s journey with the concept of Schematic Medium, highlighting its development and signaling the potential for future expansion as a new methodology.

INFORMATION

- Exhibition Title: Schematic Medium as Meta Conceptualism
- Dates: September 5th, Thursday - December 25th, Saturday
- Exhibition Hours : Monday – Saturday, (11 AM - 6 PM)
- Venue: A Lounge & A Gallery (Aiden Cheongdam Hotel, 216 Dosan-daero, Gangnam-gu)
- Inquiries: Jonghyun Park (Curator) / aproject.company@gmail.com

Jay Jongho Kim graduated from the Department of Art Theory at Hongik University and earned his master's degree in Art Planning from the same university. From 1996 to 2006, he worked as a curator at Gallery Seomi, planning director at CAIS Gallery, head of the curatorial research team at Art Center Nabi, director at Gallery Hyundai, and curator at Gana New York. From 2008 to 2017, he served as the executive director of Doosan Gallery Seoul & New York and Doosan Residency New York, introducing Korean contemporary artists to the local scene in New York. After returning to Korea in 2017, he worked as an art consultant, conducting art education, collection consulting, and various art projects. In 2021, he founded A Project Company and is currently running the platforms K-ARTNOW.COM and K-ARTIST.COM, which aim to promote Korean contemporary art on the global stage.