Kim ByungTae
Signals from Emptiness
Reflections by Byung Tae Kim explores Nature not just as form of art but as a medium of conveying fundamental oriental philosophy. The adage of less is more rings ever more true with shot after shot of vast expanse skies, vividly empty landscape and silent, still silhouettes. Yet to the discerning mind, to the searching soul, these spatial interrelationships superimposed on delicate compositions of landscape, flora and fauna throb with energy. They resonate with cognition and undulate with emotion. Captured by this serenity, Kim has visited the same place time and again for the last two decades, savoring the ambiance, taking in the atmosphere.
Reflections depicts not so much excursions out to the wild as it does incursions into the soul. It shows a natural outlet for emptying oneself – a pathway to clearing the mind, cleansing the spirit and unburdening the heart. It depicts a means to let loose the imagination, light as a spore, to soar high with the wind into the azure skies and to sweep low across the wide grasslands unhindered, no place out of reach. In doing thus, one comes to see that freedom, order and comfort are inherent in nature. More importantly, in the lull and emptiness – in the silence and solitude – one is unified with nature. One identifies with a shared language inherent to all in existence, a resounding hum permeating all space, echoing across eons from the beginning of time when nothing existed yet everything began. The mystery of this – the profoundness of it – is left to one’s own interpretation. For us at the Nairobi National Museum, we are glad to have been able to host and present such a thought provoking body of work, and to be a part of the process of sharing these truly intriguing insights with the world.
Lydia Gatundu Galavu Curator of Contemporary Art, Nairobi National Museum
Kim Byung Tae
- Born in Daegu, Korea
- Lives in Nairobi, Kenya
Solo Exhibitions
2008 – 2013
Wild Emotions – Tokyo, Miyagi, Gunma, Yokohama, Nagoya, Ibaraki, Morioka in Japan
2014
Wild Emotions – Seoul Arts Centre, Seoul, Korea
2015
Wild Emotions – Daegu Culture & Arts Centre, Daegu, Korea
Wild Emotions – Gallery 1, Shinjuku Park Tower, Tokyo, Japan
2016
Reflections – Nairobi National Museum, Nairobi, Kenya
2017
Roam Free – Soho Photo Gallery, New York, USAGroup Exhibitions & Art Fair2017
Asia Contemporary Art Show – Conrad, Hong Kong
Singapore Contemporary Art Show – Suntec, Singapore
Keorea International Photo Festival– Seoul Arts Center, Seoul
2016
Pouvoir de la Photographie – Galerie 89, Paris
Photography Spectrum – Hanbyukwon Gallery, SeoulPublications
Wild Emotions, 2014
Wild Emotions, 2015
Reflections, 2016
