Core Searching series: Color Layered Line Drawing Series - kim heejo

Core Searching series: Color Layered Line Drawing Series


A Body of Work Exploring Semicircular Structure, BYR Color, and the Order of Planar Painting through the Accumulation of Bodily Movement and Colored Lines




“Color-Layered Line” Drawing Series is a body of work in which colored lines, generated through the movement of the artist’s hand across a measured distance, are layered and accumulated on the surface to form fundamental structures and formal relationships centered on the semicircle. This series goes beyond the act of simply drawing lines, examining how repeated bodily movement generates structure within the picture plane, and how that structure expands into color, surface, rhythm, and boundary. In particular, the work develops through repeated variations of the semicircular form, while presenting a painterly order in which line, color, and planarity are organized within the basic chromatic framework of BYR—Blue, Yellow, and Red.
 
Within this series, the semicircle functions as an important formal center. It is at once a state prior to the completion of the full circle and a structural unit that produces rhythm and boundary within the surface. The semicircles in these works do not appear merely as independent geometric forms, but rather emerge through the repetition of lines and the layering of color, appearing as edges, segments, borders, or fragments of a cropped circle. In this way, the semicircle becomes not simply a geometric motif, but a key element that organizes rhythm and constructs order across the flat surface. In many of the works, semicircular forms are aligned along the edges of the canvas or appear as partial curves, functioning as structures that divide and tension the picture plane as a whole.
 
Color is likewise an essential condition of the work. In “Color-Layered Line” Drawing Series,” color does not function as a secondary decorative element separate from line, but as a structural language formed together with the layered condition of the line itself. The use of blue, yellow, and red recalls the fundamental chromatic system of BYR, and these primary colors function not as ornamental color fields, but as formal units that establish order and tension within the composition. Black, white, pink, and gold are introduced in subsidiary ways to adjust the density and sensory atmosphere of each work, yet the core structural logic of the series remains grounded in the primary chromatic order of BYR. Color creates a sensuous surface while simultaneously clarifying the repetition of lines and the structure of the semicircle.
 
In this work, line is not simply an outline. It is generated through repeated bodily movement and becomes the key unit through which color fields, boundaries, and structures are formed through accumulation and layering. Each individual line is an independent trace, yet through repetition it overlaps and condenses into larger rhythms and directional systems. In some works, lines are densely layered until they appear almost as a field; in others, they are arranged along the edge of the surface to create semicircular borders or band-like structures. In this sense, line does not merely describe form, but acts as the generative principle through which form itself comes into being.
 
What is especially significant in this series is the strong emphasis on planarity through the relationship between line and color. The formal elements in these works do not construct a deep illusionistic space, but instead reveal how layers of line and color are placed, superimposed, and divided upon the surface. The curves of the semicircle, the horizontal and vertical bands, and the accumulation of colored lines are all presented as events taking place on the plane itself. The surface functions not as an illusionistic space, but as a field of structural placement and material inscription. This planarity demonstrates that the work is concerned with the fundamentals of form not through volumetric illusion, but through the relationships among line, color, and plane. In this respect, “Color-Layered Line” Drawing Series” stands on the boundary between drawing and painting, while clearly emphasizing the condition of planar painting.
 
The use of materials is also central to the character of the series. Thin oil paint and both glossy and matte enamel create complex layers on the surface through their differing textures and responses. The delicate and flexible qualities of oil paint allow for the flow of line and subtle gradations, while enamel introduces a sharper surface presence and clearer edges. As these distinct materials overlap, the surface acquires a unique material tension and visual vitality. The layers of color should therefore be understood not as simple applications of pigment, but as the accumulated result of bodily action and material response.
 
Performativity is another central condition of this series. Here, performativity does not merely refer to the fact that the body is used to make lines, but to the entire process through which repeated movement accumulates time, rhythm, density, and structure on the surface. The hand’s motion across a measured distance creates subtle differences in the length, direction, pressure, and spacing of the lines, and these differences gradually build the formal order of the work. The series is thus not a simple collection of lines, but a demonstration of how repeated action is transformed into pictorial structure.
 
The work is also closely connected to the problem of intuition and sensation. In “Color-Layered Line” Drawing Series,” the lines are not merely the result of formal repetition, but traces in which bodily sensation and intuition have been organized on the surface. Each line is individual, yet integrated into a larger whole, revealing the process by which memory, experience, and sensation are translated into formal order. Yet these sensory elements do not dissolve into lyrical expression. They are disciplined and clarified within the structured order of the semicircle, the chromatic system of BYR, and the planar composition of the work. In this sense, the series maintains the immediacy of sensation while retaining a strong formal control.
Ultimately, “Color-Layered Line” Drawing Series” is a body of work in which colored lines generated through repeated bodily movement form structures centered on the semicircle, and in which line, color, and planarity are brought together within the basic chromatic order of BYR to produce a painterly system. Here, line does not describe form but generates it; color does not decorate the surface but organizes its structure; and planarity is not merely a formal condition but a central principle that supports the entire logic of the work. The series may therefore be understood as an exploration of fundamental formal order through minimal shape and color, at the point where the performative condition of drawing meets the planar condition of painting.
 
 
 
 
 
 

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', '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.

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.

Core Searching series: ‘Semi-Circle & No.9’ Drawing 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.

Core Searching series: Core Searching Paintings

Core Searching Paintings is a body of paintings that explores bodily movement and performative process through the fundamental formal language of BYR: the color system of Blue, Yellow, and Red, and the geometric structures of the square, triangle, and circle.

Core Searching series: Color Layered Line Drawing Series

“Color-Layered Line” Drawing Series is a body of work in which colored lines, generated through the movement of the artist’s hand across a measured distance, are layered and accumulated on the surface to form fundamental structures and formal relationships centered on the semicircle.

Schematic Studies: Circle Geometry

Circle Geometry is a digital drawing series developed in advance of actual object production, created to explore a range of geometric structures and formal relationships centered on the circle.