Explore The Multiverse Via Sky Kim’s Masterful, Monumental Watercolor Journeys Into Quantum Physics And Spirituality
Natasha Gural Contributor
Sky Kim 'Multiverse Series - Untitled 5' (2019) watercolor, acrylic, and Swarovski crystals on ... [+]
CHASE CONTEMPORARY
Glistening blue and green orbs and biomorphic shapes erupt from a dense black background, drawing our gaze into and around the pulsating canvas. Oscillating like a close-up of atoms, we confront our position in a hypothetical collection of potentially diverse observable universes.
Sky Kim masterfully paints in watercolor, emphasizing the glint of each atomic pearl with acrylic, and illuminating the multiverse with Swarovski crystals. The eye journeys through Kim’s philosophical, spiritual, scientific, and creative processes via the 45-inch-by-34-inch Multiverse Series- Untitled 5 (2019). We float into her multiverse, buoyed by celestial and pelagic vibrations.
Her meticulous brushstrokes and formidable composition turn us inward and outward, surveying the past and contemplating the present and future. My visual travels through Kim’s Multiverse conjure solace and compel me to engage with life’s salient questions. Exploring Kim’s Multiverse, I recall reading weeks ago how scientists have challenged the prevailing view that asteroids and comets brought water to Earth from regions of the Solar System beyond the frost line, to discover that most of the hydrogen was already here, waiting for Earth to form.
“I believe we are all multi-dimensional beings. I believe we exist in multiple dimensions, simultaneously. This is from my strong interest in quantum physics, and my interest in spirituality,” Kim said in a phone interview.
Quantum physics, the study of matter and energy at the most fundamental level, seeks to understand the behavior of matter and light on the atomic and subatomic scales. Through Kim’s imagery, we ponder the impact of minuscule objects, such as electrons and photons, the quantum phenomena that permeate our existence.
Multiverse Series- Untitled 5 is among 25 of Kim’s enthralling works that will be on view from April 7 through May 1 for a solo show, Cosmic Breath, at Chase Contemporary in New York’s SoHo neighborhood.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Kim earned a M.F.A in Painting from Pratt Institute, and lives and works in New York. She borrows from her life experiences, various philosophies, and the ancient science of sacred geometry, which asserts that certain geometrical shapes and proportions embody sacred meanings.
“I use repetition of circles and lines to represent the cosmic significance of geometry. There are certain rules and patterns in the cycle of life, so I use a lot of circles. To me, a circle is an absolute form you can find in nature. So when you draw a circle, there's no beginning or end. They always come back to the point where you started, just like our life process. The will of life. Reincarnation,” said Kim. “Again, in this respect, time is not linear. Time is rather circular in my understanding.”
A multifaceted creative powerhouse, Kim currently spends 12 to 14 hours a day in her studio, working seven days a week, with an occasional Sunday break. Each work inspires us and invites us into her sweeping narratives, comprising a continuum where the series engage in dialogue with each other and the viewer.
Transport yourself to a world of infinite possibilities with Portal Series - Untitled 3 (2018), the sanguine background evoking a lush, velvety sensation, juxtaposing the dazzling black pearls that summon the protective properties of hematite or obsidian, and surrender to the array of beckoning spirals that soften toward the radiating center.
“We come in and out of portals all the time,” said Kim, who embraces the five elements theory that everything in nature is made up of fire, water, air, earth, and spirit. “There's no logic to it. It's just the energy I have.”
The mandala and radiant orbs, or black pearls, recur in Untitled (Flamingo Mandala) (2021), this time the symbolic representation of the universe is buffered by an ebullient background of pink feathers. When flamingos eat algae and brine shrimp, their bodies metabolize the pigments, turning their feathers pink.
“During the lockdown, I couldn't go to my studio for three months, so I set up a studio in my back room. I wasn't able to work on a large-scale work, so I started doing small sketchbook pieces, and I started using colored pencils. The design used for this series was very monochromatic, like occasional blue and occasional red, but during the lockdown I started using colors, even pink. Before it was unthinkable using pink, like no way, it’s too girly-girly, too Barbie-Barbie. But with a pandemic going on and the future is so unknown and everything is chaotic and unpredictable, I just started using colors and pink became my buddy,” Kim recalled with delight. “Now I can't use pink enough. I was dreaming of flamingos, because during the lockdown I wanted to go to someplace warm and peaceful.”
Kim used a needle to create the smallest glowing elements of the galaxy in Multiverse Series - Untitled 1 (2019), conjuring an ethereal mood that whisks us away from our immediate reality.
“On an unconscious level, my work is largely influenced by the loss of my twin sister, who was a stillborn. I didn't know until I was 12 or 13, but then I realized that must be the source of the emptiness inside,” Kim confided. “It was really hard to carry that feeling, because before I knew about myself being a twin, I had this big whole in my heart. I still do. So I tried to find a way to fill the gap. I have so many questions about life, like why I am ‘here’ when she's ‘there,’ somewhere ‘up there?’ I don't know where she is, but there must be a reason why I'm still here. There must be much more to the reality we call life. That's whyI started turning to spiritual books and going to churches, to find an answer. It was like a big question mark hanging over my head all the time. That's how I started seeking answers. And I found a partial, but critical, answer to most of my questions, which is reincarnation. To me, that explains a lot of incomprehensible phenomena in life.”
Get swept away by Kim’s Scroll Series, following the rhythmic patterns as they caress the ground. Kim said people often wrongly assume the series is rooted in her Asian cultural background, but it’s simply an extension of her vast and evolving creative process.
“I usually get a roll of paper and cut into certain sizes. One day, however, I wanted to continue the good flow of energy I was having so I decided to paint the whole roll. I thought, why not? That was how my scroll series began. I record my time, space and raw emotions at the moment on 30 foot-long scrolls,” Kim explained. “As writers use old-fashioned typewriters, I leave my own traces of being in a timely-manner on 30 foot- long paper. I like the fact that it’s a 2D work but the way it is displayed is 3D, like an installation piece. During my studio practice, what I try to focus on the most is creating a "positive energy" which clears any blockage that might dwell in my unconsciousness and interferes with my creative thought process.”
Despite the broad range of inspiration, spanning sacred geometry, quantum physics, reincarnation, and all life’s major questions, Kim leaves her work open to interpretation.
“I want my viewers to see what they need to see,” she said.
