Step into ARARIO GALLERY SEOUL, and you’ll find yourself immersed in a world where metal comes alive. KIM Byoungho’s solo exhibition, “Lost in Garden,” transforms the gallery’s three floors into a playground of sculptural marvels that challenge our perceptions of form, space, and civilization itself.
As you navigate the exhibition, you’re struck by the meticulous craftsmanship evident in each piece. KIM’s sculptures, primarily crafted from metal, are not mere static objects but intricate systems that seem to pulse with an inner life. The basement level greets visitors with “Horizontal Garden” (2018), a massive form suspended in mid-air by thin wires. Its presence is both imposing and ethereal, casting ever-changing shadows that dance across the floor, extending the sculpture’s reach beyond its physical boundaries.
Ascending to the ground floor, you encounter “Two Collisions” (2024), a kinetic sculpture that demands attention. Two contrasting forms—one gleaming silver, the other a matte graphite black—rotate in opposite directions, creating a hypnotic display of motion and reflection. Nearby, “57 Vertical Gardens” (2024) stands as a testament to KIM’s fascination with what he calls “civilization’s excrescences.” These rounded metal ellipsoids, densely clustered on linear structures, evoke images of strange fruit or alien growths, challenging viewers to reconsider their relationship with the manufactured world.
The third floor of the exhibition offers a stark contrast to the rounded forms below. Here, KIM explores planar and linear elements in works like the “A Section of the Garden” (2024) series. These sculptures, with their matte black finishes and polished aluminum edges, create striking silhouettes against the white gallery walls. The artist’s decision to emphasize the cross-sections of these pieces invites contemplation on the nature of perception and the human desire to dissect and understand.
Perhaps the most visually arresting piece on this floor is “323 Thorns” (2024), a sculpture that seems to defy gravity with its intricate network of linear elements. It’s a three-dimensional drawing in space, each “thorn” carefully positioned to create a complex whole that shifts and changes as you move around it.
KIM Byoungho’s approach to sculpture is as much about process as it is about the final product. His works begin life as detailed blueprints, meticulously planned and executed within a rigorous production framework. This systematic approach mirrors the very societal structures that KIM seeks to explore through his art. By merging mechanical precision with artistic expression, he creates pieces that are at once familiar and alien, inviting viewers to question the nature of creativity in an age of mass production.
As you leave “Lost in Garden,” you can’t help but feel that you’ve experienced something more than just an art exhibition. KIM Byoungho has created a space where the boundaries between nature and artifice, between the organic and the manufactured, blur and dissolve. It’s a thought-provoking journey through a landscape of metal and meaning, one that lingers in the mind long after you’ve left the gallery.
With upcoming solo exhibitions planned for Hong Kong and Shenzhen in 2025, KIM Byoungho’s exploration of form, material, and societal reflection is set to reach an even wider audience. For now, “Lost in Garden” at ARARIO GALLERY SEOUL offers a unique opportunity to engage with the work of an artist who is pushing the boundaries of contemporary sculpture.
About the Artist
KIM Byoungho graduated from Hongik University’s College of Fine Arts in 2000 and began exploring art engineering in 2002. He earned a Master’s degree in Technology Art from Chung-Ang University’s Graduate School of Advanced Imaging Science, Multimedia & Film in 2004. His solo exhibitions have been held at the Cheongnamdae Hosuyeong Art Museum (Cheongju, Korea, 2024), K11 Art Center (Shenyang, China, 2022; Wuhan, China, 2023), WWNN (Seoul, Korea, 2023), ARARIO GALLERY (Seoul, Korea, 2011; Cheonan, 2013; Shanghai, China, 2018), Soma Museum of Art (Seoul, Korea, 2010), and Gastatelier der Stadt Frankfurt am Main (Frankfurt, Germany, 2009). He has participated in numerous notable group exhibitions, including The 3rd Jinan International Biennale (2024), Jeonnam International Sumuk Biennale (2023), Yeongsan River Art Festival (2023), Pohang Steel Art Festival (2021), Taehwa River Eco Art Festival (2014), and the Jing’an International Sculpture Project (2012). Additionally, his work has been featured in group exhibitions held at institutions such as Pohang Museum of Steel Art, Ewha Womans University Museum, Can Foundation, Gyeongju Solgeo Art Museum, Amorepacific Museum of Art, Seoul National University Museum of Art, POSCO Art Museum, and the Saatchi Gallery (London, UK). The artist’s works are included in the collections of prestigious institutions such as the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Korea), Amorepacific Museum of Art (Korea), KulturPortal Frankfurt (Germany), Seoul National University Museum of Art (Korea), ARARIO MUSEUM (Korea), Government Complex (Korea), Shanghai Panlong Tiandi (China), New World Development (Hong Kong), and Hyundai Motor Company (Korea).
Exhibition Dates: From 26 December 2024 (Thurs) to 8 February 2025 (Sat)
