Episode 67: An Excellent Planner
‘They say the phones of SNS influencers are flooded with thousands of notifications. I guess I’ve experienced a bit of that myself.’
Kang Lim checked only the messages sent by Lee Hyunseong among the pile of messages.
That’s because he could read and respond to Hyunseong’s messages later.
Lee Hyunseong had excitedly sent a screenshot of a newspaper article.
‘So, this is because of the article…’
The main article had already accumulated over twenty thousand comments.
Seeing his name at the top of the search rankings made it feel real.
The rest of the messages were from friends, relatives, professors, Kim Jooyoung, and even schoolmates he wasn’t close with…
So many people had contacted him that he couldn’t bring himself to read them all.
‘I’ll have to respond later when I can think straight…’
Even though he was in charge of promotions, he hadn’t expected this much attention.
It wasn’t just the article; there were numerous posts as well.
‘Since no promotion is needed, they’ve covered the glass walls with blackout curtains to darken the entire exhibition hall.’
There were so many people that he had to stand on tiptoe to see inside the gallery.
The white walls of the gallery were now completely covered in black.
Just moments ago, he had been watching cars swiftly pass between tall buildings…
Entering this space felt like stepping into complete silence.
It was as if a sinkhole had suddenly appeared in the middle of a bustling city in broad daylight.
Thanks to this, his concentration surged all at once.
‘Wait a second, it’s not just black. It’s a dark gray with low saturation and brightness…’
Kang Lim admired the color of the wallpaper once more. Such subtle differences create harmony.
A painting hung on a completely black wall might feel swallowed up.
But by slightly lowering the brightness and saturation, it blends well with all colors.
In fact, gray is a convenient color for coordinating outfits.
‘The lighting and wallpaper are on a different level compared to when I exhibited in Insadong…’
Usually, what galleries do is remove the staples or nails from previous exhibitions and fill in the holes with white paint.
Then they receive new works and level them for installation.
‘But why are people already lined up?’
The 120-pyeong space seemed small with the crowd packed in.
Even though there were still two hours until the official opening.
Kang Lim spoke to his parents, who were standing at the back of the line.
“I don’t know why they opened already… I’ll go meet the director. Please wait a moment.”
Im Yujin waved her hand and said,
“Don’t worry about us. The director probably opened early because there were too many guests. We’ll just wait here and go in slowly.”
“Ah, okay. Just a moment.”
Kang Lim squeezed past the people to enter.
Thankfully, no one got angry at him for cutting through the line.
His neat attire and the fact that they overheard his conversation made him seem like an official.
‘Oh, they’ve set up partitions everywhere.’
The previously open exhibition space was now divided into a large U-shape.
By pre-setting up partitions, they could control the flow of visitors.
Especially since Kang Lim’s work was best viewed in chronological order to understand his mother’s psychological changes, it was an excellent choice.
Moreover, partitioning prevents the entire gallery from being visible at once.
If you want to slowly feel the emotions of a grieving person, suddenly seeing the bright expression of his mother a few years later could feel like a spoiler. This was a thoughtful consideration.
‘And it’s not too narrow either. Some people might want to view from afar, and others might not want to follow the sequence.’
The paintings were hung with wide gaps between them.
Usually, series works are placed closely together.
However, Kang Lim’s paintings were not works with a specific color scheme or touch style.
Since the weather and the unique background in each work constantly clashed, a break was needed before moving on to the next piece.
Indeed, people couldn’t easily move on to the next painting after appreciating one.
The height of the paintings was also appropriate.
This particular painting was size 60 on a modified canvas. The figure was almost life-sized.
Hanging such a large painting too high would strain the eyes.
‘They’ve positioned it so that my mother’s face is exactly at eye level with the viewers.’
Kang Lim approached the third painting in his series.
His mother, leaving the window open, letting the rain pour in.
Her stretched-out T-shirt and hastily tied hair sticking out.
It was a painting depicting a time when she had no energy to take care of herself.
People stood rigid, seemingly frozen as they appreciated the painting.
They slowly licked their lips, their expressions as severe as the mother in the painting.
Just as lightning flashed outside the window…
At the exact moment they made eye contact with the woman in the painting…
A startled viewer exclaimed,
“Hey, her eyes moved!”
“Ah, be quiet… You’re embarrassing us…”
“Sorry, sorry.”
People whispered in hushed tones.
“But don’t her eyes really seem to sparkle? Much more than the rest of the painting.”
“Really? Why is that…?”
Kang Lim looked up at the lighting installed by Ha Baekyeon. It was because of that.
The gallery ceiling had two rails, one and two, for installing lights.
If you install lights on the front rail, it creates strong shadows on the painting, bringing out the depth of the contrast.
However, it has the drawback of making it difficult to capture the original colors of the painting.
Ha Baekyeon had installed yellow lights on the second rail.
Not as stark as incandescent bulbs, but a warm light of appropriate brightness.
Since Kang Lim’s paintings already had strong brightness, this lighting was meant to bring out the colors.
Moreover, the lights focused on his mother’s eyes.
It was intended to highlight the finish he had applied only to the eyes.
This way, the lighting reveals the material properties that are usually invisible.
For paintings with transparent and smooth textures or ones with embedded pearls, lighting is especially crucial.
‘I really love it… It feels like they understood and reflected every element of my painting…’
People commented on how beautiful the brochure was and talked about getting it signed by the artist for keepsake.
One viewer hesitantly fiddled with their phone.
“But we probably can’t take pictures, right?”
“Generally, museums don’t allow photography.”
Museums often prohibit photography to preserve the exclusive experience for ticketed visitors.
But it’s different for galleries.
Kang Lim quietly whispered to the people.
“You can take pictures. Even the Louvre allows it, so why wouldn’t we?”
“Oh, really?”
“Thank you!”
People excitedly began taking photos of Kang Lim’s work.
Smiling, Kang Lim moved forward.
In the middle of the exhibition hall, he saw Ha Baekyeon explaining the paintings to the visitors.
Normally, gallery directors don’t also act as docents, but perhaps he was offering extra service due to the large crowd.
Not wanting to interrupt, Kang Lim decided to return to his parents.
‘Well, there’s still time before the opening ceremony. They’ll look for me later.’
It seemed better to take in the exhibition properly from the start.
When Kang Lim returned, his parents had already entered the gallery.
Although he could see inside by standing on tiptoe, his mother was too short to see well.
‘The paintings must be further inside… But the atmosphere is really nice…’
When Im Yujin first entered the exhibition, she felt it was distinctly different from other galleries.
It was like exploring a submerged abyss with an oppressive atmosphere…
The first thing visible upon entering was the preface left by Ha Baekyeon.
When I first met artist Kang Lim,
I thought he was a very distinct person.
His white skin and black hair.
Eyes clear in black and white.
Not just his appearance, but his intent was also clear.
Yet, when we look at his paintings, we are led to many thoughts.
What he showed was clearly black and white, but we realize the myriad shades of gray hidden within.
An infinitely divisible gray human.
That’s how I want to define him.
Because I saw infinite possibilities in him.
An intriguing introduction for a new artist.
It naturally piqued curiosity about Kang Lim and made one eager to meet him.
Im Yujin turned her head to observe Kang Lim’s expression.
He was also reading the preface, and he seemed pleased.
Im Yujin smiled and moved slowly with him.
Starting with the preface, the theme <24 Seasons of Emotions> was inscribed in golden typography.
A small light flickered over it.
Next was an explanation related to the works.
Film director Sylvain Chomet said,
[Memory is akin to a pharmacy or laboratory. Sometimes a calming drug, sometimes a poison might be caught by a randomly outstretched hand.]
Thus, how cautious must one be with trauma?
It must be clearly distinguished when to bury it and when to face it.
Artist Kang Lim’s series of 24 pieces is about his childhood trauma.
Since witnessing a murder in his childhood, the artist developed hyperthymesia.
A condition where one remembers everything without forgetting.
Since that incident, the artist has persistently pursued the image of his shocked mother.
He saw it as an opportunity to express all human emotions.
He was an experimental artist from birth.
But his mother couldn’t understand his talent.
Because a brush was held in such delicate hands…
Reading about her story in sentences felt a bit surreal to Im Yujin.
It had been over 15 years since that incident.
She glanced at Kang Lim again.
This time, she felt how much he had grown.
‘When did you grow so tall… my son…’
The explanation continued.
Despite his perfect memory, the artist says it is subjective.
Because the moment the subject of experience changes, the amplitude of emotions felt by the subject also changes.
He said emotions are like the weather.
Just as a sunny day can suddenly turn into a downpour.
Human emotions can also be paradoxical, like feeling happy yet tearful, or wanting to be alone yet desiring company.
He collected Korea’s capricious 24 seasons, matching them with his mother’s emotional states after the incident.
The 24-piece series is a record of the emotions he felt and the laborious time spent trying to understand one person.
After reading the entire description, Im Yujin slowly moved among the people.
Those who had read the story wanted to follow the record of the incident, so they preferred to view the paintings in order from the first to the last.
But Im Yujin already knew the paintings Kang Lim had made of her.
She had occasionally seen them while organizing at home.
‘I should see the recent works first. I’m really curious.’
Im Yujin’s steps moved on their own.
Little by little…
Step by step…
As she passed through the crowd, Kang Lim’s paintings began to emerge between the heads of the people.
Surrounded by a circle of people, Ha Baekyeon was explaining the work.
“Outside the window, beyond the red brick wall of the neighbor’s house, you can see a jujube tree. The fruits are still green, not yet ripe. Which season among the 24 do you think this painting represents?”
People, though unsure, looked very curious.
Somehow, the gloomy sky’s color amplified their anxiety.
A sky that seemed about to rain any moment.
Shadows from the clouds were cast on the woman’s face.
Although she was clearly smiling calmly, she looked somewhat unsettled.
After giving people time to deeply appreciate Kang Lim’s painting, Ha Baekyeon spoke again.
“This painting represents the season of Cheoseo. When summer ends and autumn begins.
Cool breezes blow in the mornings and evenings, and you start hearing the cries of crickets. So, what is the correlation between Cheoseo and the woman in this painting?”
After giving people time to think, Ha Baekyeon continued.
“This is the 18th painting in the series. By this time, a lot of time had passed since the incident.
Artist Kang Lim’s mother began to feel relieved, seeing her son in a stable state. As the psychiatrist had said, her son did not suffer from his excessive memory.
However, on the other hand, she must have been anxious that the days that had been okay so far might suddenly turn upside down. The aftereffects of the incident could unpredictably resurface at any time.
Similarly, the weather around Cheoseo determines the success or failure of the harvest.
Whether it will be a good year or a poor one…
Depends on whether it rains or not.
Around Cheoseo, rice ears need a lot of sunlight to mature, but if it suddenly rains, it can ruin the well-growing crops.
So the artist depicted his mother’s emotions, caught between joy and anxiety, through this season.”
Using the artist’s notes, the curator interpreted the painting, providing a broad understanding to the audience.
As expected, people edged closer to Kang Lim’s painting, covering their mouths.
So engrossed in the painting that they almost touched it with their faces.
Ha Baekyeon, smiling, asked the viewers to step back a bit.
“Wow, so that’s why he painted it like this.”
“So sad…”
After hearing the explanation, the audience understood why the deep blue color evoked such anxiety.
Now they saw that the neighbor’s brick wall outside the window was not neatly arranged but stacked in a jagged, unstable manner, as if it could collapse at any moment.
It wasn’t a mistake by the artist; it was intentionally painted to appear unstable.
The woman gently placed her right hand over her chest, as if catching her breath.
Perhaps her son was playing in that direction.
She looked at the audience with a compassionate smile.
A face that was both happy and sad…
Kang Lim’s painting gripped the hearts of many.
The emotional landscape he depicted made everyone nostalgic.
And among those viewers was Im Yujin.
Tears began to drop from her eyes.
It was an unconscious reaction.
To vividly relive buried memories as if they happened yesterday.
That was the power of Kang Lim’s work.
Im Yujin wanted to sob.
‘From such a young age, you understood me so well, and you still carry my struggles so clearly in your heart… while I live comfortably, having buried it all…’
Kang Lim, as if expecting this, patted his mother’s shoulder beside him.
It was a gesture to say everything was okay.
His father silently wiped away her flowing tears.
Ha Baekyeon, noticing the family, smiled.
What a beautiful sight it was.
She knew it was time to hand the microphone over to the main character.
“Everyone, the artist is here! It’s time to start the opening talk.”
