Culture > Art |
Total Recall
September 25, 2015 / by Timothy Chui
Kim Jung Gi’s freehand sketching skills could be seen as a gift from above. The South Korean illustrator and educator possesses an artistic talent so magical, it seems barely possible for a mere mortal.
His indescribably detailed, breathtakingly vivid sketch tableaux take in a profusion of people, animals and machines, depicted with artfully distorted perspective and an eerie hyper-realism, all of it achieved without the use of grids or visual prompts.
Exhibiting the technical prowess one might expect of a former special-forces operative, he wields the tools of his craft deftly, without hesitation, but with perfect precision and finesse.
Far from the stereotype of the underfed artist, the stoutly built, shaven-headed Kim makes his work appear anything but painstaking. Constantly smiling, he laughs and trades barbs with anyone who understands Korean while he works his magic undeterred by the crush of onlookers and the flashes of cameras. Starting with a line drawing of something he finds inspirational, he meticulously fills out his drawings, bringing his scenes of unimaginable variety and vitality to life.
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The soaring popularity of his work has made his books increasingly expensive and sought after. The lucky few who bought his first two sketchbooks before he attained celebrity status got them for HK$300; one of them, Omphalos, Latin for navel, bound in leather that eerily resembles human skin, now retails for more than HK$880.
Already a big name in his home country, Kim can be spotted at pop-up art shows in the US and is about to embark on a tour of Europe that will take him through Belgium, Portugal, Germany, France and Italy before the end of October.
Kim knows that his ability to draw without reference sets him apart from other artists. It started in his childhood, when he produced fantastic images he half imagined, half remembered from television cartoons. He says, in his usual understated style, that his "recall is very good”.
This illustrator adds that he doesn't find his work laborious; instead he sees it as a way to relax. He is, however, worried about his work stagnating, and is always keen to push his work in new directions, such as in his recent collaboration with legendary Japanese illustrator Katsuya Terada.
As well as drawing on A4 paper, Kim also creates far larger scenes, for instance in an attempt in Malaysia in June, currently awaiting verification, to break the Guinness World Record for the longest period drawing by an individual; his fish-eye illustration took four hours each day for six consecutive days.
Covering a vast range of subject matter, from everyday scenes to bizarre sexual liaisons with animals, the artist recreates everything from the wild to the mundane in vivid detail, be it an art class, a noodle shop or a search and rescue operation, while his erotic art is made all the more visceral by his uncompromising approach to form. Kim says, of the in-your-face sensuality of some of his work, that “it’s all a part of life”.
But while some of Kim’s subjects might push the boundaries of taste, his line art is a spectacle that even the most conservative observer cannot help but watch in awe.
