WHAT I HAVE SEEN
CITY LANDSCAPE
CHUNKY TOTEM SERIES
FAKE SAGA
THE WEATHER FORECASTING STONE
YET TO BE FILED
DRAWINGS
LIST OF SELF-DEVELOPED WEBSITE PROJECTS
EXHIBITION VIEW
PASTRY(with HJ Keem, JY Park)
TEXT
ESSAY
CV
toomanysulkies@gmail.com
TEXT
Monthly Art Dec 2021
UP-AND-COMING ARTIST
Dec, 2021
Hyunah Jo, Journalist of Monthly Art Magazine
(Please note that this translation is a summary of the original text, and some nuances of the Korean language may be lost in translation.)
The sentence "앗 조각상 타이어보다"(Oops! this statue is --- than the tire!) is an excerpt from a copy banner in Kim Sulki's artwork "헤라-오늘" (Hera-Today, 2018), which emulated the format of print media from the recent past. This phrase was originally designed as a sticker message, replacing the conventional business card. Over time, it evolved into a well-known advertising catchphrase: "앗! 타이어 신발보다 싸다" (Oops! This tire is cheaper than shoes), which was used by a tire company in South Korea during the 1990s-2000s. In her artwork, Kim Sulki transforms this catchphrase into a statement that briefly reminds viewers of the monetary value associated with sculptures. Through this strategy, she parodies and brings visual and linguistic attention to something that was too common and overlooked, much like her own name (as reflected in her SNS handle 'toomanysulkies').
Over the past two years, Kim Sulki has created acrylic sculptures that allow elements in her video works to be combined without adhesive, and she has transformed clothing with computerized embroidery. Through these processes, she has built the density of her work and the narrative of her exhibitions. While her previous solo exhibitions, "SF 산신할머니" (SF Godmother of a Mountain) and "Chunky Totem Series," had the same central theme but different orientations, her current exhibition creates images that appear "crudely" layered, with various forms of layers superimposed. The question arises: "Can't you tell they're fake just by looking?"
In particular, her video work "SF 산신할머니" persistently reproduces fakes that pretend to be real, highlighting the mistaken perceptions and beliefs that exist in a world filled with these fakes. The narrative of the video comprises elements from post-apocalyptic genres, B-movie cult films, and "Asian" legends with only sensational plots remaining. Kim Sulki introduces the "Human Xerox Company" in the artwork, a group that partners with the Greater Goddess Group, creating a world where copied bodies have programmed functions. The plot revolves around a shaman born in 1995 who believed she was a self-proclaimed genius but eventually realizes that her abilities were programmed into her. This narrative challenges the conventions of media storytelling. Takk-nabi's journey to find the Shaman Grandma in this society makes traditional shamanism appear mechanical, satirizing the authority of the heteronormative family structure and the irrational thinking that has persisted in culture. Additionally, the artwork incorporates fake legends, interspersed like sudden advertisements, which underscore the phenomenon of fake news and cult religions prevalent in today's society.
However, "SF Godmother of a Mountain" and "Quick Shaman," which lacks a conclusion, only offer clues to thought and do not arrive at any definitive conclusions. The lack of resolution is also seen in "Quick Shaman." "Quick Shifter," a 3D modeling metaverse platform program from Japan, endlessly circles around the beginning of the story. Just as the artist views the enduring popularity of shamanism as a quick attribute, the swiftness and context-free development in the artwork align with today's desire for quick and effortless gains.
The themes parodied in the video works are amplified in her second solo exhibition, titled "Chunky Totem Series." Reproduced shaman instruments, created with inexpensive mixed media that only possess traditional "feelings," challenge the mystical aura of affordable shamanistic items available for purchase online. Works like "Shinjangcal" (2020) and "One Piece of Poseokjeong" (2020), besides their external appearances, expose issues we might not have noticed through their playful nomenclature. Kim Sulki writes "Mukbang" as "먹방" (eating broadcast) and uses English-friendly street names, aiming to evoke irony.
Kim Sulki, who is currently receiving more attention in the field of sculpture, is reexamining the realm of sculpture. To her, sculpture is not just physically empty spaces but also intangible and robust vessels for beliefs that float within our daily lives.