‘Art needs to overcome the hurdle of capitalism,’ says Korean artist Kim Ho-Suk. By Anjana Mahato
For South Korean artist, Kim Ho Suk, India and especially Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore hold a huge attraction. Ho-Suk has been inspired by the works of Tagore and has all his literary work translated in Korean. “Be it his poems or short stories and drama, his work touches upon every emotion of human life and its nature. Similarly, I like to communicate with people through paintings. This is my tool and whenever I read such a legend like Tagore I always try to depict their teachings, attitude, their lifestyle and philosophy,” he says.
As for India, he feels it is the country of the holy Ganges and spirituality. What makes the country even more attractive is its vibrant culture and harmony where so many diverse religions co-exist. Add to it the spicy food and has the perfect combination of what drew Ho Suk to the country, a second time where he is currently holding an exhibition, Hiding Inside the light, in the capital.
The exhibition showcases the last four decades of art works of Ho-Suk. A renowned painter, he was born in rural south-west Korea. His crafts delve deep into human life and depicts emotions and the human journey during different stages of life. Ho-Suk comes from a family of freedom fighters and always puts his homeland first, so some of his work captures the essence of nation and the pride one should take in his/her motherland.
What is unusual about his art works is the use of only two colours, “When you mix all the colours in the world, we get black. I think the best painter is one who can mix everything together,” says the artist.
“I think the black and white represents fire and water and I aim at harmonising them in my paintings. There cannot be any such notion such as superiority or inferiority and one needs to rise above these beliefs. The sun showers its light equally on each and every creature in this world without discriminating between them. I want to do the same in my paintings,” added Ho-Suk.
The exhibition portrays Ho-Suk’s journey of exploration of Korea. It presents key works from his series of portraits, landscapes, animal figures and scenes from daily life which provide an intimate understanding of social, cultural and political aspects of Korean life.
There is a message that Ho-Suk wants to convey through his work. “I believe that everyone in this world can live together in peace. The world is like a drop of water. It evaporates as there is nothing everlasting and we all know that one final day everyone of us will have to take a final rest. The world keeps changing and one needs to rediscover oneself to survive on this planet,” says Ho-Suk.
He also explains his ideas about the relationship between human beings and God, “Humans should always hold on to their principles. Just the way the sun is in the centre, that position should not change -- that is what God advises us to do. However, humans keep changing, which leads to conflict, war and human destruction. God always tells us to be selfless and be compassionate towards the people who need us,” he says.