Ilhwa Kim's work 'Seed_universe 天下圖' is composed of tens of thousands of seed units. Each seed unit has the combination of straight lines and circles, which compose a tiny single universe in her own physical terms.

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The materials are not given, but created personally for the each single universe. Kim dyes each sheet of paper by hand with thousands of different colors and cuts and rolls the layers of paper to make it rigid. Not a single universe has the same shape, look, color in her work.  

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When tens of thousands of universes take shape of the whole universe, a single work completed, the sense of completion never comes in full and each perception betrays previous ones. The surface and sense of the work keep changing from morning to night all day long; endless up and down waves by her 'paper seed' units, bold and dense juxtaposition of hand dyed colors, and very mild reflection between 'Hanji' paper units. 

 

Kim's universe achieves dramatic transformation between a close up and a distance away. Tiny seed units by Kim's hands are firm and rigid, but the lump by the seed waves moves tender and fast. Tenderly relaxed talk ceaselessly goes on between sculptural weight and tactile painting quality. Kim's universe pushes away the distinction between sculpture and painting. The tactile universes are extremely free from optimum point of view. 

 

The 'Seed_universe' work itself does not move, but reforms every moment achieving unseen dynamic balances among calm humble seeds.

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                                                                                                         Laam Yi

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