Poster image of Kim Sung Soo’s solo exhibition, Vanitas at CAN Foundation, Seoul. © CAN Foundation.Kim Sung Soo’s (b. 1969) solo exhibition, Vanitas, is taking place at the CAN Foundation from October 14 to November 12, 2022.
Each collection of Kim Sung Soo’s works may appear to be by different artists. However, the focus of Kim’s artworks is on us, which reflects the hidden side of contemporary society.
While the artist was studying in France, the Metallica series was created to represent the foreigner’s life in a cold city. Due to their patterns, the silhouette of the precisely measured steel structures appears abstract. The works express the standardization of modern civilization and human desires. The Melancholy series depicts contemporary society. The characters in the background, which are dark and devoid of space, all have empty eyes. The artist creates infinitely repeating images with mirrors to convey the feeling of alienation in contemporary society.
The Vanitas exhibition borrows patterns from Persian carpets, which symbolize the aristocratic culture of the past. The fading gold-colored patterns express the ephemeral nature of today’s desires. The Lapidifier series expresses emptiness through colorful flowers. The faded golden color of the flower seems to reflect the disappointment of desire that holds onto the splendid past. However, other works exhibited at The Old House appear to have allowed the gold to fade in order to gain wisdom.
Artist Kim Sung Soo has held solo exhibitions at various locations, including Johyeon Gallery, Gallery Scape, and Project Space Sarubia. In addition, he participated in a number of group exhibitions held at Korean art institutions such as the Busan Museum of Modern Art, Ilwoo Space, Jeonbuk Museum of Art, Busan Museum of Art, and Gana Art Center, as well as exhibitions held at various international galleries in London, Paris, Jakarta, Beijing, and Taipei.
