Kim Bohie captures light, nature of Jeju in new exhibition

SEOUL, Aug. 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korean painter Kim Bohie is renowned for her evocative depiction of Jeju Island, highlighting its palm trees, blossoms, and azure waters in her 15-year-old dog Leo against diverse hues of light. In "Towards: There Was Light," she displays approximately 30 canvases at Gallery Hyundai in Seoul, encompassing new pieces from the "Toward" series that portray the landscapes of the southern island she calls home.

Additionally, the exhibition features "The Days" (2022), a large-scale piece that once featured at Art Basel's Unlimited section, enveloping an entire wall with verdant clusters of flora and flora. The exhibition seeks to evoke the genesis of light, illuminating Kim's gratitude for nature, her wellspring of inspiration throughout her 40-year artistic career.

For Kim, light has been a central theme since her youthful works in the 1970s, capturing the light filtering through a dawn forest or the glimmers that shimmer across a river. Since relocating to Jeju in 2003, she has focused on how light interacts with the island's lush greenery and cerulean tones, its horizons, and blossoms as they morph across various times of day and seasons.

Rather than merely replicating her observations, Kim envisions nature over time and translates it onto her canvases, infusing her own perspective.

She explains, "There is no singular reason why I focus on green and blue. When you visit Jeju, you'll witness the turquoise ocean and shades of green and blue. When painting the sky and sea, that is all you require." She emphasizes that while she borrows colors, it is the sea that resides deeply within her heart. "I painted them all simply because I adored what I was painting."

Born in 1952, Kim pursued Korean painting studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul until 2017, serving as a faculty member during her tenure. Her works have been acquired by national art museums, such as the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, as well as the foreign ministry. This exhibition marks her initial solo showcase in South Korea since her previous exhibition at the Jeju Museum of Contemporary Art in 2022, running until October 18.