Cheolyu Kim | FireWorks Gallery

Artist Tabs

Selected works

FW22583 A Midsummer days dream 5 (2)	FW22584 A Midsummer days dream 5 (3)	FW22585 A Midsummer days dream 5 (4)
FW22586 A Midsummer...	FW22587 A Midsummer...	FW22588 A Midsummer...
FW22589 A Midsummer...	FW22590 Journey to Nowhere #60

Bio

Cheolyu Kim was born in 1968 in South Korea. With a background in sculpture, Kim holds an M.F.A. in Sculpture from Brooklyn College-University of NY and a B.F.A. in Sculpture from Chung-Ang University in Seoul, Korea. This sculptural influence is evident in the carved-like volumes within his drawings, where he employs techniques such as fine moire and cross-hatching for textures and shading, often leaving the paper or wood exposed in other areas. Currently, Kim’s artistic focus is entirely devoted to pen drawing, executed on either paper or wood. Whether utilising a bicoloured or monochromatic palette, his work is characterised by detailed compositions, tonal gradients, and multiple perspectives, achieved through a deliberate restriction of chromatic range. Cheolyu Kim’s artworks have been widely exhibited in Korea, Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand and the United States.

Courtesy of REDBASE Gallery, 2024

“Since childhood, I have been profoundly fascinated by the concept of flight—whether through seeds, leaves, insects, birds, balloons, planes, or even UFOs. My early experiences included hours spent following colorful balloons from the North, which carried political leaflets, and chasing various airborne objects. These formative encounters have significantly shaped my dreams and artistic practice. In my dreams, I often grappled with transparent flying dishes attacking my village or imagined myself navigating the skies. Despite my awareness of lacking wings, I simulated flight with my arms, symbolizing my yearning to transcend physical limitations. This pursuit of transcendence led me to invest considerable effort in establishing my own parameters and interpretations through visual imagery.

My artwork emerges from the interplay between memory, imagination, and dreams, effectively dissolving the boundaries between the real and the fantastical. This process enables me to explore and articulate life’s complexities, providing a means of personal reflection and understanding. By navigating the intersection of the familiar and the unfamiliar, my work creates a dialogue between these realms, facilitating a deeper engagement with both.”

Courtesy of the Artist, 2024

Education

2002 M.F.A. Sculpture, Brooklyn College, New York, United States
1995 B.F.A. Sculpture, Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea

Solo Exhibitions

2023 Midsummer Day’s Dream, Redbase, Sydney, Australia
2022 Journey to Nowhere, Redbase, Sydney, Australia
2017 Be High, Journey to Nowhere, Gallery Artbn, Seoul, South Korea
2013 Journey to Nowhere, Lotte Gallery, Ilsan, South Korea
2012 Nowhere, Gaain Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
2009 Delta Quadrant – Nowhere, Samtoh Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
2008 Recent Works, Slate Gallery, Brooklyn, New York, United States
2003 Solo Exhibition, Cue Art Foundation, New York, United States

Group Exhibitions

2024 Evidence of Scale IV, FireWorks Gallery, Brisbane, Australia
2024 Aotearoa Art Fair, Redbase Art, Auckland, New Zealand
2023 Sydney Contemporary 2023, Redbase, Sydney, Australia
2023 Aotearoa Art Fair 2023, Redbase, Auckland, New Zealand
2020 The View from Here, Elisabeth Jones Art Center, Portland, United States
2019 Connective Tissues, Stella Ripley Gallery, Quebec, Canada
2015 Journey to Nowhere, Art Space Hue, Paju, South Korea
2014 Line-Drawing, Wumin Art Center, Chungju, South Korea
2012 Montage, Gaain Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
2012 Korea Galleries Art Fair, Gaain Gallery, Coex Hall D, Seoul, South Korea
2011 KIAF 2011, Gaain Gallery, Complex Building, Seoul, South Korea
2011 It’s All Good!! Apocalypse Now, Sideshow, Brooklyn, United States
2010 Storytelling, Infusion Gallery, Brooklyn, United States
2010 Group Show 2010, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Brooklyn, United States
2010 Art Hamptons International Fine Art Fair, Slate Gallery, Bridgehampton, United States
2010 GE 4th Annual Asian Pacific American Art Exhibition, GE Headquarters, Fairfield, United States
2009 Two Degrees of Separation, Gallery Satori, New York, United States
2009 Bridge Art Fair, Cue Art Foundation, New York, United States
2008 Bridge Art Fair, Cue Art Foundation, Miami, United States
2008 Next Art Fair, Cue Art Foundation, Chicago, United States
2007 Rising Asian Artists, 2x13 Gallery, Seoul, South Korea
2007 Asian Contemporary Art Fair, 2x13 Gallery, Pier 92, New York, United States
2007 Nowhere Here, Mikhail Zakin Gallery, New Jersey, United States
2007 Out of Sight, Slate Gallery, Brooklyn, United States
2006 Pipe Lines, NARS Foundation, Brooklyn, United States
2005 Arville, 2x13 Gallery, New York, United States
2005 50 Artists, Mushroom Arts, New York, United States
2005 Watercolor Show, Gallery Joe, Philadelphia, United States
2005 Evolving Pattern, Harold B. Lemmerman Gallery, New Jersey City University, United States
2005 16 Rooms, NARS Foundation, Brooklyn, United States
2005 Isomorphisms, Mushroom Arts, New York, United States
2005 Surface Tension, 2x13 Gallery, New York, United States
2004 Green Light in New York, Gallery Korea, Korean Cultural Center, New York, United States

Publications

2008 Solo Exhibition of Cheolyu Kim, Antiques and The Arts, United States
2007 Featured in Drawing Structure and Vision, Fritz Drury & Joanne Stryker
2006 Unambiguous, Art World Digest Magazine, United States
2005 Not So Sketchy, Roberta Fallen, Philadelphia Weekly, United States
2004 Cheolyu Kim at Cue Art Foundation, Jessica Ostrower, Art in America
2004 Drawing Resurfaces – The Obsessive, Hanya Yanagihara, Departure Magazine, United States

Collections

Gwangju Museum of Art, South Korea (Holodeck Chair #2, 2010)
Yangpyeong Art Museum, South Korea (Delta Quadrant2 #29, 2008)
Portland Art Museum, United States (Delta Quadrant, 2003)

Past exhibitions

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