The visible and invisible refers to a special meaning involving the artist’s gaze, not merely describ-
ing visibility. It connotes an Artist’s intention to express differences within society, culture, ideology,
and self-consciousness. The Artist pays more attention to a concealed ‘difference’ than revealed ‘dif-
ference’, referring to it as ‘the invisible world’.

Each subject may not recognise the existence of this world, but it is a significant piece of equipment,
which makes the subject’s consciousness move, and makes a huge impact on expressing life. This
equipment includes trauma, for example, as a type of damage to the psyche, caused by physical injury
or psychological shock. The invisible world has a broader meaning in that it has no specific cause,
and it, being unspecified, is significant. From the eye of an Artist, a visible world is just an illusion of
unknown, indefinable devices. The Artist testifies through imagery that outward, superficial behavior
and relationships constitute a membrane covering ‘an actual, essential element’. The property of the
Artist’s work and the theme of this exhibition is penetrating the concealed behind the revealed to dig
up the hidden.

Heena Kim’s work puts this imaginary world at the center of her narrative. She uses her imagination to
transform the invisible into the visible world. She builds up an imaginary world by reconstructing and
modifying images she saw in her dream and interesting elements in her life, with her imagination. The
Artist however, could not clarify the source of her work’s form and narrative, because her imagination
is ‘an emission of her consciousnesses. The physical and spiritual experiences, including a play making
an imaginary world as a child, and the psychological oppression she experienced in London among
heterogeneous cultures and various races, transform into a visual language through her imagination.
Interestingly, this new world and narrative made with her experience and imagination appears awk-
ward, even to the Artist herself, and provokes her curiosity, which she explains as, “To do work means
to explore my concealed self; to witness my self disclosed through work.”

Examining her work, common elements she often adopts appear. Pink Human, featuring severed pink
body images, seems detached from surrounding objects, or appear in a small group. Alongside Pink Human, broccoli and penguins in diverse colors help her exploration of the inner world, conveying a
narrative. Another significant element is pink-masses in every corner of her work. These are liquid
masses that appear bright and splendid but flow heavily. This fluid assumes the role of a basis sustain-
ing or covering other elements. These pink liquid masses appear as ever-changing characters, which
signify the Artist’s intention to stress that the world is not an eternal space but a temporary imaginary
place.

Oriental VisArt presents this exhibition to introduce her weird, uncanny, humorous art-world. It is
hoped viewers will experience her invisible world visually and sympathise with her imagination.

by Oriental VisArt

'A peaceful town in Telena', Acrylic and collage on canvas, 120cm x 95cm, 2010

'Dear M. C. Escher', Acrylic and collage on canvas, 122cm x 122cm, 2010

'Hard choice with the stairs', Acrylic and collage on canvas, 102cm x 76cm, 2010