KIM Byoungho: Lost in Garden: Solo Exhibition

KIM Byoungho (b. 1974) primarily works with metal as his main medium, creating sculptures and installations distinguished by their striking aesthetic forms. His meticulous creative process, rooted in detailed design blueprints and executed within a highly systematized production framework, reflects aspects of contemporary society. Immersed in today’s social structures, he merges mechanical precision with captivating artistic expression to realize new forms of sculpture. To him, an artwork resembles a product shaped by societal conventions, norms, and systems. His oeuvre raises philosophical questions about human life and the psyche within a civilization built on rationalism. The exhibition at ARARIO GALLERY SEOUL spans 3 floors and features 15 works of varying scales, including both representative and newly created pieces.

 

The artist likens his sculptural principles to an artificially cultivated "garden," using metal modules as fundamental building blocks to explore the aesthetics of composition within three-dimensional space. Abstract forms and surfaces, finished with diverse textures, interact to achieve a unique balance and harmony within the exhibition space. On the basement level, Horizontal Garden (2018) floats midair, its massive form suspended by thin wires from the ceiling. The diverse shapes of shadows cast on the floor extend the sculpture’s presence into the surrounding space. On the ground floor, Two Collisions (2024), a rotating machine-like work composed of two forms, is displayed. Two modules, one with a mirrored silver surface and the other with a graphite-like black finish, rotate in opposite directions on their respective axes. Nearby, the radiant silver sculpture 57 Vertical Gardens (2024) presents a striking array of rounded metal ellipsoids—referred to as "civilization’s excrescences"—densely perched on linear structures. On the 3rd floor, works such as A Section of the Garden (2024), 9 Observations (2024), and 323 Thorns (2024) highlight the artist’s focus on planar and linear elements.

 

KIM Byoungho graduated from Hongik University’s College of Fine Arts in 2000 and began exploring art engineering in 2002. He earned a Master’s degree in Technology Art from Chung-Ang University’s Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science, Multimedia & Film in 2004. His solo exhibitions have been held at the Cheongnamdae Hosuyeong Art Museum (Cheongju, Korea, 2024), K11 Art Center (Shenyang, China, 2022; Wuhan, China, 2023), WWNN (Seoul, Korea, 2023), ARARIO GALLERY (Seoul, Korea, 2011; Cheonan, 2013; Shanghai, China, 2018), Soma Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea, 2010), and Gastatelier der Stadt Frankfurt am Main (Frankfurt, Germany, 2009). He has participated in numerous notable group exhibitions, including The 3rd Jinan International Biennale (2024), Jeonnam International Sumuk Biennale (2023), Yeongsan River Art Festival (2023), Pohang Steel Art Festival (2021), Taehwa River Eco Art Festival (2014), and the Jing'an International Sculpture Project (2012). Additionally, his work has been featured in group exhibitions held at institutions such as Pohang Museum of Steel Art, Ewha Womans University Museum, Can Foundation, Gyeongju Solgeo Art Museum, Amorepacific Museum of Art, Seoul National University Museum of Art, POSCO Art Museum, and the Saatchi Gallery (London, UK). The artist's works are included in the collections of prestigious institutions such as the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Korea), Amorepacific Museum of Art (Korea), KulturPortal Frankfurt (Germany), Seoul National University Museum of Art (Korea), ARARIO MUSEUM (Korea), Government Complex (Korea), Shanghai Panlong Tiandi (China), New World Development (Hong Kong), and Hyundai Motor Company (Korea).