Kim Heecheon, 'Deep in the Forking Tanks.' 2019, Video. Courtesy the artist.South Korean new media artist Heecheon Kim is set to showcase his works at London’s Hayward Gallery in an exhibition titled Heecheon Kim: Double Poser, running from December 1, 2023, to January 7, 2024. The exhibition will feature a new adaptation of his video work Cutter III (2023), which draws inspiration from video game aesthetics, skateboarding culture, and the gallery’s brutalist architecture. Originally created for a show at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Seoul, this piece reflects Kim’s innovative approach to blending art with digital and cultural influences. Another video work, Deep in the Forking Tanks (2019), explores sensory deprivation tanks and scuba diving in underwater caves, using layered images and sounds to disorient viewers and blur the boundaries of reality. Yung Ma, Senior Curator of the Hayward Gallery, commends Kim for creating worlds that reflect the intersection of our mundane reality with the digital realm, offering an absurdist perspective that questions our fascination and reliance on advanced technologies.
The exhibition, developed in collaboration with the Art Sonje Center in Seoul, resonates with feelings of helplessness while providing a playful escape, according to Je Yun Moon, Art Sonje’s Project Director. Kim, who received the Hermès Foundation Missulsang Art Prize this year, is part of a group of emerging Korean artists promoted abroad by the government-backed Korea Arts Management Service (KAMS). He eagerly anticipates engaging with new audiences in London and having meaningful discussions about his work.
