memory in the mirror

　In Kim Changkyum’s artwork, a series of images of the commonplace are projected onto a darkish room featuring an aquarium, with a mirror and furnishings affixed to the walls. Figures appear and disappear−one in front of the mirror, languidly grooming; another in front of the mirror in a bar, looking somewhat troubled−people appearing and disappearing by turns in short vignettes of melancholic existence. Within the room, we overhear casual conversations, nondescript sounds. Figures are cleverly projected onto the wall. The scenes and figures in the mirror and fish in the tank seem real, but just as surely they disappear into the dark again, reminding us that they were only illusions. As real figures and virtual images mingle, the viewer is reminded of the uncertainty of existence.
　Kim is known for his video installations and the way in which they combine projected images and existing objects, one example being his piece using imagery of someone peering down into a water’s surface projected onto a tub on the floor. His are incisive self-portraits of the contemporary human condition.

Photo: Iwasaki Mami