Interview about Go Together Painting, winner of the A' Fine Arts and Art Installation Design Award 2021
Her design is giving a message that they must overcome division and go together. Lara Kim designed to make two groups to face and connect them. A lot of hands and feet attached to life objects represents a variety of directions. The black color means fear when they are in conflict with each other, and the blue color means hope to move forward. The sky blue color on the bottom means water. All entities in this design are connected and go forward together. It was drawn on a canvas and painted with acrylic.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsWhen I paint, I intuitively choose color, and I think that everything in the universe, and every color has its own unique energy.Black was used to show the deep unconscious inside by absorbing everything, the state of worry and fear felt in confrontation with the other person, and to represent a static and very strong force. Blue is the color chosen to represent hope and recovery, and free thinking and infinity.I would like to show a contrast between the two groups in Go Together, using black and blue on one side and various colors on the other.These are colors that I chose intuitively to show concisely and clearly the theme of the work that overcomes and moves on by connecting with each other, although it suffers confrontation and conflict.
My emphasis on the anatomical elements of hand and foot in this work is a symbol of different paths and directions.The hand symbolizes 'touch.' It contains contact with others, and a willingness to connect. This assignment of several hands and feet to the living things in the painting is the possibility that an individual can have multiple perspectives and directions.In particular, two opposing groups are pointing in different directions within the structures facing each other, but in the end, it means one essential relationship. This is also true in human society. We are oriented in different directions, but on a deep level, we are interconnected. This is the essential reason why I used these elements.
My three-dimensional bending technique is the result of progressive development in the process of repeated experiments, observations, and failures. It started from simply wanting to break away from being two-dimensional. I explored new forms by handling paints and acrylic additives with my own hands. I focused on creating a three-dimensional shape by carefully observing and controlling the material itself. Building a frame and creating a certain shape were time-consuming and energy-consuming tasks.
This work begins with a structure in which two groups face each other. From the beginning, this structure went beyond simple visual contrast and focused on deliberately designing opposing and connected states. Tension and harmony, conflict and healing, isolation and solidarity exist simultaneously in the arrangement.The two groups in the work visually embody this very ironic truth: a deliberately opposed, but inevitably a journey to one.This strong spatial arrangement stems from a deep reflection on human existence. Through this work, I wanted to convey the message that we must confront and collide, but overcome confrontation and conflict and move in the same direction.
I created this by moving the boundaries between consciousness and unconsciousness through this work. Human connections and conflicts work deeply in the unconscious for the most part. On the surface, it is difficult to recognize, but in reality, things like fear, deficiency, memory, and hurt have an effect. I also have an unconscious desire to run away when it is difficult to endure confrontation, but I have faced many inevitable situations. And it may be due to the instinct that overcoming confrontation and conflict, existing in the same place, and working together can be more advantageous for survival because everything is connected in the Earth and the universe.
Water, expressed in sky blue at the bottom of this painting is not just a background or decoration. It is a symbol of flow and change. In this way, water suggests the possibility that different beings can ultimately flow in one direction even in conflict. Through this image of water, I wanted to convey the message of 'moving forward together' in relationships between human relations and groups.Ultimately, this water is related to the title ‘Go Together’. It doesn't exist like an isolated island, but it contains a fateful community that all of us must influence each other in some way, move together, and eventually move toward the same future.
What I hope to achieve through this work is for the audience, when viewing it, to recall their own experiences within the structure of conflict presented in the piece, and to reconsider the inevitable confrontations and the structure itself.Go Together painting is composed of structures that face each other without turning their backs on each other, and it is a fateful connection. This means that recognizing and accepting each other's existence, and trying and working together to solve and overcome problems, reduce the time for confrontation, and the two groups are better able to survive. This is because the two groups are connected, and they are a doomed community.The same goes for the social divisions we face. I want to show the importance of finding the possibility of coexistence, not the perfect agreement.
Technically, I used Gesso, acrylic paint, and glossy varnish at the end. These materials act as a means to reveal the message of the work more intensely.Acrylic paint dries quickly, and has the property of containing strong and vivid colors. Acrylic paint is suitable for showing the improvisation and intuition of emotions and things that can be converted in a moment. Finally, the glossy varnish protects the painting by covering the surface, but at the same time reflects and glitters light, it does not feel stationary but shows wave-like flexibility. This is because a flexible attitude is important when it comes to overcoming confrontations and moving forward together. I wanted to express it in the painting as well.
My work is done in a pleasant calmness within me, regardless of external circumstances. Imagining there is the starting point of my creation. It’s a way to sensuously experience the subtle dynamics of relationships.In modern society, human relationships are very complex and diverse. It is difficult to understand what lies behind the words or actions that appear on the surface. I want to feel that invisible structure intuitively.This approach allows me to get closer to the essence of human instinct and relationships. I find the essence of many things I have experienced, and I keep coming up with visual images of them.This work, ‘Go Together’, was also created through that process. I imagined two opposing groups facing each other and a unique and powerful flow of connection between them.
Go Together Painting is visually expressed instinct and reason, confrontation and harmony. 1. Two groups placed on either side: two groups placed on both ends of the screen face each other and visualize opposing energy. This configuration symbolizes conflict, but at the same time open the possibility of dialogue and connection. 2. Connection Element: The connection element that connects the two groups is a symbol for coexistence and overcoming conflict. It is not linear but organic, which represents the complexity of human relationships.3. Water image below: The sky blue water flowing at the bottom of the painting suggests the possibility that different beings can eventually flow in one direction even in conflict.
Dive into a world of design excellence with our curated highlights. Each feature showcases outstanding creativity, innovation, and impact from the design world. Discover inspiration and learn more about these incredible achievements.
