What is 'Schematic Medium'? - kim heejo

What is 'Schematic Medium'?


1. Definition of 'Schematic Medium'
: A Performative Generative System of Dynamic Equilibrium

‘Schematic Medium’ is the core methodology penetrating my artistic world. It is a structure of thinking that does not seek to reproduce the essence of the world, but rather to model how the world operates. This term is defined on two levels:
 
  • Schematic
    Dictionary-wise, it is the adjective of ‘Schema,’ meaning a diagram or chart. However, from the perspective of cognitive psychology, it transcends simple signs to mean the ‘Cognitive Framework’ or ‘Structure of Thinking’ that humans use to interact with the world and grasp events. I expand this concept in my work to function as a ‘flexible and recursive language of the system’ that governs and connects all plastic acts.
 
  • Medium
    Generally, it refers to the ‘means’ or ‘materials’ used to implement art. However, in the context of contemporary art, it is used as a term encompassing entire modes of expression such as painting, sculpture, and objects. I define this concept beyond the dimension of physical materials, expanding it to mean the ‘Total Sum of Expressive Modes’ where thinking mediates with the world and plastic practice takes place.

Therefore, my Schematic Medium is not about producing individual works such as paintings, drawings, sculptures, objects, or installations in an independent and fragmentary manner. It is an integrated strategy where all media possess organic relationships, constructing a massive series or a systematic system.  In other words, it is the process by which my unique ‘Cognitive Schema’ passes through various media to become concrete. It does not settle into a fixed form but is in a state of ‘Dynamic Equilibrium,’ constantly seeking the optimal balance point between internal order (concept) and external stimuli (environment).




2. Essence: Re-definition of ‘Plasticity (造形 - Johyeong)’
 
I define my work not as simple ‘Making’ but as ‘Plasticity (造形 - Johyeong).’ While ‘Johyeong’ literally means ‘to create form,’ for me, this is not an act that merely produces a visual result.

“To create form is to re-contemplate the world.”

Plasticity is a ‘Generative Language’ through which perception constructs the world and establishes order. Therefore, my work is not an expression of emotion or a reproduction of an image, but a process in which thinking creates form on its own—a Praxis that visualizes the operation of thought, the order of senses, and the formation process of the world.



3. Operating Principle: From Closed Structure to Open Generation
 
Schematic Medium operates not through the logic of linear ‘cause and effect,’ but through Circular Causality and expansion from within. This system is a single organic circuit where Plastic Language (Human), Structure (Space), and Practice (Time) mutually resonate.
 
  • Embodiment of Plastic Language (Sensory Passage)
If the Reductionism of the past, like that of Piet Mondrian, sought to find an immutable ‘essence’ by summarizing the world into points, lines, and planes, I reinterpret the world through my own ‘Unique Plastic Code.’ My plastic language is a reduction of fundamental concepts into minimal signs, which are not simple symbols but ‘Conceptual DNA’ reflecting my philosophy. I use this language as a ‘Sensory Passage (Interface)’ where humans and the world resonate with each other, establishing an organic communication system that mutates according to the environment and context like a living organism, rather than a fixed symbol.
 
  • Flexible Structuring of Concept (Field of Relations)
If Sol LeWitt left ideas as ‘instructions for practice,’ my Schema occupies space as an ‘Evolving Algorithm.’ The content of the work exists not as a fixed message but as ‘Potentiality.’ Individual works function not as isolated fragments but as an ‘Organic Network’ connected within a massive organism. This functions as a ‘Relational Expansion’ that goes beyond being placed in a physical location to access the flow of space and generate meaning.
 
  • Repetition and Difference (Temporal Practice)
‘Repetition’ in my work is not mechanical reproduction but a ‘Performative Rhythm’ that records the flow of time. Repeated brushstrokes and acts are a Ritual confirming the ‘Existential Imperfection’ of humans who cannot reach the Ideal. The minute ‘Existential Errors’ that occur at every moment are not simple plastic traces, but Events proving that time itself is structurally operating through my body.
 
 
 
4. Plastic Development: Constructed Schema and Trajectory of Expansion
 
Schematic Medium is not a fixed style but is in an ‘Evolutionary Process’ that constantly updates its version over time. The series below serve as Key Reference Points that have anchored the concept of Schematic Medium in reality, and as a Foundation for Expansion that will branch out infinitely in the future.
 
  • Schematic Painting (2D Projection)
    Painting is the first record of my Schema projected onto a plane. The <One Hour> Series is a record of performance capturing intuitive impressions by setting a limited time schema (Duration), while the <Colored-Line Painting> Series serves as the system’s visual vascular system where internal energy is expressed through the flow of lines and colors. Beyond simple flat works, these form the basic grammar of plastic language that will expand into three dimensions and space.
     
  • Schematic Drawing (Conceptual Index)
    Drawing is the process of erecting the skeleton of thought. The repetitive performance shown in <Semi-Circle & No.9> is a conceptual Index revealing deficiency and imperfection. Rather than aiming for a completed image, this serves as a blueprint verifying the logic of the process where concepts transform into concrete shapes.
     
  • Schematic Object (Dimensional Transition)
    Objects are experiments in ‘Dimensional Mutation’ where the schema of the plane penetrates into 3D physical space. They demonstrate how the plastic language constructed on a plane structurally adapts and reconstructs into new forms when it encounters the gravity and volume of reality, proving the evolutionary stage of the system adapting to its environment.
     
  • Schematic Installation (Spatial & Relational Expansion)
    Installation is the present tense of the ‘Relational Expansion’ that Schematic Medium aims for. <Platform1> rearranges past series into a comprehensive spatial schema, constructing an environment where the viewer can intervene. At this stage, the work goes beyond an object of contemplation to function as a ‘Field of Relational Event’ where space and humans interact and meaning is reconstructed at every moment, opening up the possibility for the system to extend into even more complex dimensions.

     

Ultimately, Schematic Medium transforms the artwork from a ‘beautiful object to be appreciated’ into a ‘Worlding that operates and generates.’ My work does not follow closed laws but is a ‘Performative Generative Structure’ where an imperfect human breathes with the world through the tool of Schema, dimensionally expanding the aesthetic order derived from that process. This exists as a Meta-Praxis, where rational thought and physical practice interact to restructure the world anew.
 

What is 'Schematic Medium'?

‘Schematic Medium’ is the core methodology penetrating my artistic world. It is a structure of thinking that does not seek to reproduce the essence of the world, but rather to model how the world operates. This term is defined on two levels

Schematic Chart

The left sector of the chart contains a deep exploration into how I dissect and perceive the source of life and existence. Core concepts like 'Origin,' 'Universe,' 'Black Hole,' 'Nature,' and 'Chaos' are interwoven with the physical dimensions of 'Time' and 'Space.' This reveals that I perceive the world not as a mere phenomenon, but by deconstructing it into fundamental forces and orders. Crucially, the Holon philosophy offers an integrated perspective, showing that every entity is both 'the whole and the part,' forming the core pillar of my ontological thought. This sector is the solid foundation of my artistic contemplation and the very manner in which I perceive the cosmos and the self.

Featured Characters

In the Schematic Chart, my emanated self, RD (Revolutionary Debris), appears alongside other characters. These characters show how my mind and artistic world are structured, and guide viewers to explore my world with enjoyment. Each character goes beyond being a simple symbol and carries the operating principles of the Schematic Medium and hints about forthcoming works. Through this, viewers do not merely appreciate my work but pre-experience another narrative and the possibility of expansion. In the end, this chart is a map that reflects a dimension we do not see in everyday life. Through it I clarify the way I understand and express the world and offer viewers a new visual and philosophical experience. I wish to share not only simple artistic expression but deep thinking and an original perspective.

BYR 99 Prime Elements

BYR 99 Prime Elements constitutes the most fundamental structural framework of Kim Heejo’s visual language. The series establishes the minimal unit of form through ninety‑nine elements—thirty‑three each of Blue, Yellow, and Red. Each element carries a specific formal code: Blue (square / human), Yellow (triangle / nature), and Red (circle / cosmos), and the relationships among these three elements generate the artist’s visual system.

BYR Organic Schemata

BYR Organic Schemata develops from the structure of BYR Prime Elements and demonstrates the organic expansion of the formal system. Through the combination and variation of the basic elements, new configurations of form and structure emerge. The series moves beyond simple geometric units to explore a more fluid and organic visual order.

BYR Quad Origin

BYR Quad Origin investigates the generative principles of form by reducing the fundamental elements of the BYR system into a geometric structure. Within the relationships between basic forms and colors, the works examine structure, balance, and tension. Through minimal compositions, the series reveals the structural foundation of the BYR visual language while allowing diverse formal variations.

Tri Form Series

The Tri Form Series rearticulates the conceptual structure of BYR Prime Elements as a unified system. Whereas Blue (Gyeok), Yellow (Hyeong), and Red (Gong) were previously presented as independent formative principles, here they are reconfigured to operate simultaneously within a single, integrated structure.

Schematic Studies

Schematic Painting is an abstract painting series that investigates the structural relationships among fundamental visual elements. Lines, forms, and colors organize the pictorial field, producing both compositional order and visual tension. Through painting, the series explores the formative principles of the Schematic Medium.

Core-Searching series

Core-Searching Drawings are early works that investigate the fundamental structure of the artist’s visual language. Through repeated variations of simple forms and signs, the drawings explore the process through which conceptual ideas transform into formal structures. These drawings mark the starting point of a visual system that later expands into painting and object-based works.

Face Series

The Face series is a body of paintings centered on the human face. Moving beyond conventional portraiture, the works explore emotional and psychological traces of human presence through color, brushstroke, composition, and expression. Each painting articulates the individuality and atmosphere of its subject through painterly means.