Illustrator Unfurls Tranquil Surreal Universes from Meadows of Grass
Once she started to feel constrained by the limits of her studio, Mul Gil Kim devised a notably ambitious scheme: undertaking a global expedition entirely on her own. Throughout 673 days, the Korean artist journeyed across 46 nations on five continents, creating over 400 artworks that reflected the daily insights and revelations gained during her travels. These creations ultimately formed the Art Road project, documenting instances of tranquility, isolation, and repose.
Art Road and its accompanying series National Art Road primarily unfold in surreal environments, where prairies morph into immense, starry oceans; rainbows turn into gigantic jump ropes; and shrubs become trains weaving through a snowy woodland. Above all else, though, the series reflects Kim’s intrigue with grass, which she transforms to assume various functions. In Spring Cat, for instance, grass serves as a curtain, drawn aside by a girl in a blue dress to unveil a giant cat behind it. Spring Broom also reinvents a common item, depicting a broom whose bristles are made of grass and whose handle is a tree branch. As the broom sweeps away snow, it paves a path of blossoms, symbolizing how seasons gradually change.
Other pieces are more whimsical, evoking fantastical yet meditative realms. Created last year in Nice, France, during summertime, Blue Watermelon represents a typical beach scene reimagined as a watermelon, where its rind acts as a beach and its flesh as an ocean. Swimming in Love explores a similar notion, this time illustrating a small, heart-shaped pond within an infinite field. Equally captivating is A Shining Home, which reveals a hamlet whose cottages are entirely fashioned from grass.
“Most of my artworks originate from actual places I’ve visited during my journeys, but I alter the scale, light, or ambiance to express something more instinctual and emotional,” Kim stated in a recent interview. “I aim to blur the distinction between memory and fantasy, allowing the viewer to engage with the piece not merely as an image, but as an emotion.”
Indeed, much of Kim’s artwork resembles a fable, where the lines between reality and fantasy continually blur. Here, grass breathes and can be immersed in as if it were water; trees shine and can be circled like carousels; and the Northern Lights emerge from the head of a deer, replacing its antlers.
“Even something as straightforward as, ‘I’ve experienced a dream like this,’ or ‘This scene somehow stays with me,’ can mark a subtle beginning of connection,” Kim elucidates. “I believe those gentle, intimate moments are where art genuinely resides.”
To discover more about the artist, visit Mul Gil Kim’s website and follow her on Instagram.