
ARARIO GALLERY CHEONAN is pleased to present RAINBOW, the 17th solo exhibition by CI KIM (b.1951, Korean). The exhibition presents more than 80 new works in various genres, including sculptures, installation and drawings, with a focus on paintings that incorporate the artist’s research and experimentation with color.
CI KIM has long and consistently confessed that the mysterious colours of the rainbow he saw in Namsan during his childhood have been a source of artistic inspiration for him. Over the years, the idea of ‘rainbow’ has been replaced by abstract concepts such as dreams, hope, beauty, and art, which have been served as the overall driving force behind CI KIM’s work and life. But lately, he has been focusing on the ‘colours’ of the rainbow. Rather than deliberately utilising colour, he seems to draw it, fascinated by its inherent qualities and savouring the joy it brings. The large-scale paintings in this exhibition are results of his fascination with light and colour and his numerous efforts and experiments to find his own painterly order within them. The presence of colour, which opens a window to infinity and mystery, drives CI KIM’s impulses today and leads us to new imaginative worlds.
ARARIO GALLERY CHEONAN, which stems from the founder KIM Chang-Il’s passion for the arts, has been integral in introducing contemporary art to Korea. The gallery has contributed to the advancement of its regional cultural industry and continues to extend the vision of the art world through numerous special exhibition programs. Some key exhibitions include solo exhibitions by KANG Hyung Koo (2007), Sigma Polke (2004), and Keith Haring (2002), as well as group exhibitions featuring young Korean artists (2022), young Chinese artists (2011), contemporary Southeast Asian artists (2010), and young Leipzig painters (2005) among many others. The Cheonan location aims to expand its cultural program for the enjoyment of a wider audience and to devote itself to being a representative platform for contemporary art both regionally and internationally.

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