Taking a look at the developmental process of Tae Sue Kim's sculpture, it moved from human body to nature at first, and again led to the theme of ecology which is a larger concept involving both human beings and nature. Even though these themes are divided by era, they show a consistency from a broad view in that they are organically connected. Especially, considering saw human beings as a part of nature or both human beings and nature as a part of ecological environment, actually the great theme of 'EcoFlow' is thought to be a theme resolved from the views of human beings and nature.

 

If ecology is set fore, of course, there should be a problem that has to reconstruct the period of making the sculpture reversely. It should be considered that the recognition of ecology was backed up behind it. As time went by, it would be natural that ecology itself was set off to the fore. It also could be considered that the respective approaches of human beings and nature were integrated under the title of ecology.

 

Specifically speaking, the sculptures of human body was dominating in the period of studying abroad between the years of 1987 and 1992. And since then, human body had been modified into abstract based on reality until the year of 2002. At that time it is assured that the sculptress had an attitude of viewing life from the contemplating point of view. While the sculpture of a single person is shown the self-reflective tendency projecting the sculptress's inner world, the figures of two or three persons together are thought for her to pay attention to human beings' relationships.

 

On the other hand, as she got interested in her inner world, the sculptress became to configurate the self-consciousness of her identity defined by the relationship to others. The sculptress' works can be considered as a case configured human beings' ontological condition presented in duality or ambivalence in that her self-consciousness is expressed as an isolated island and as a being facing others and unable to be free from relational context.

 

And she moves into the natural materials. But she doesn't jump over. There is a sort of transition period that connects human body and natural resources. A tendency of so-called the scenery sculpture in 2003 belongs to this era. As the scenic element as background for human body came in and the scenery replaced for a meaningful function of the traditional pedestal, the domain of sculpture naturally extends to the work of space installation.

 

Since then, according to the nature of work, a pedestal still plays a secondary function and the space installation without a pedestal goes side by side. Most importantly, through the combination of human body with the scenic elements, the domain of expression extends to the scenery sculpture, opens the substantial opportunity of leading into the work of space installation, and guides to reconsider the meaning of a pedestal in the process.

 

As is generally known, there is a critical part enough to be divided into the pre-pedestal and post-pedestal eras in contemporary sculpture. There has been a change in the physiology and the way of being of sculpture from the era that a pedestal mediates a sculpture and space to an era that a sculpture creates a relationship with space directly. Since that time, anyhow, there was a dramatic transition into natural materials.

 

At this time, the natural material the sculptress had paid attention was a sprouting bud. She captured the very dramatic moment that the seed prepared for growth by just sprouting a bud. The natural figures people usually remember are the state of completing the growth in general. In other words, people usually remember the completely grown nature as a figure or a concrete shape.

 

On the other hand, the figure of a seed itself or the shape of a seed in the moment of sprouting is relatively variable. It would be due to the inability of measuring how it grows. This ambiguous nature lets the sculptress inquire, deepen, and diversify abstract-looking figures. In general, the abstract occurs to a purely idealistic figures. However, it is absolutely different for the sculptress in that she drew the abstract figures from the characteristics of nature itself. Can it be considered as a sort of an organismic abstract by the nature of an organism? Anyhow, the various conditions could have not had the sculptress confine the characteristics of nature in a certain form various, but express them relatively freely.

 

And, as is generally known, a seed contains life in it. In a word, the sculptress desires to express not a seed itself, but life that a seed contains or the phenomena of life through a seed. If her ultimate orientation is not the seed but life, it is more obvious what the problem is. That is because there is no way for life to have a pre-determined form. It is natural to express in abstract grammar the phenomena of life open to all the possible forms. If an invisible phenomenon of life behind a visible figure appeared by a seed could be implied by moving up to a visible surface, it would be more obvious an abstract figure observed in the sculptress's works, more specially an orgasmic abstract or the necessity the organismic abstract possesses.

 

The sculptress takes good aim at this very point. And it is thought that her aiming is remarkably successful. Since 2004 that she started seriously to induce natural materials to her current works that the domain and category became more inclusive than the simple natural materials, it is seen that the ways of symbolization have been deepened.

 

And the sculptress's work had quite a change again. In 2006, it is thought that her participation in Vermont Residency Invitation Program provided her with an important opportunity for dramatic change. Since then, the so-called board sculpture has appeared and at the same time the materials have been diversified from bronze and stone to wood, steel board, stainless steel, and even fomax which is a kind of acryl.

 

At first, the sculptress figurated natural motives such as a seed or rice seed in the way of reiterating or arranging pre-made large and small wood boards. And then, this type of work has gradually evolved to a style of work so-called board sculpture. After cutting a steel board or a fomax in a form of slice, the sculptress reconstructs a whole figure through the ways of maintaining distance, bending them, and reiterating them on a supporting board. The figure looks strongly architective, constructive, and handcrafting at a glace. It looks remarkably different from the previous works that inquired a typical form of carving in the round.

 

As is generally known, there is no doubt that the nature of traditional sculpture would be the sense of volume, mass, and lump. The initial form that focused on sculpture of human body or natural materials was those which inquired this mass. And bronze and stone became the materials appropriate for expressing those forms. As the physiology of sculpture changed from the typical form of carving in the round to so-called board sculpture, the materials were replaced as well. It is just like that as contents were changed, so was the form. And the material to let it express was changed as well. It can be seen a case to let the physiology of sculpture expand again through a sculpture without a pedestal.

 

Additionally, it should be indicated that the sculptress utilizes color actively. The sculptress induced coloring into her own sculptures early. However, it is considered right after this work when coloring was induced and functioned as a critical element to set off the form to advantage. The induction of coloring can be compared with the reality of domestic field of sculpture that is still stingy with utilizing colors. It is true that the comparison has become a significant opportunity for setting off the sculptress's works. And the induction of light also let physiology of the sculptress's sculpture that had been expanded to space installation work become more flexible. It also has had a sort of space affinity be emerged as a distinguishing characteristic, even though it is not the locality specificity.

 

And the sculptress has thematized 'EcoFlow' since 2009. It is considered that she has deepened and diversified her works, while the form has shown consistency. Especially, not only the form but also the theme has been remarkable. So to speak, if it can be expressed in domestic topic of 1980's, it would be an idea and a body in 1990's. And on the verge of 2000's, 'Eco', that is, ecology appeared as a keyword for the spirituality of an era. Whether consciously or unconsciously, it is a part that the sculptress is able to recognize or read the spirituality of an era. As was covered before, the sculptress has worked a variation basically board sculpture.

 

In order for independent sculpture she has often painted on a steel board for her work. She has utilized fomax material for the work of board that relatively tends to be easily bended. The work of board could be considered a sort of a picture--a kind of drawing sculpture--in that it might be easily attached or installed on the wall. So to speak, the sculptress's sculptural works cover a wide range of genre from plane to cube as well as from sculpture to picture.

 

EcoFlow is a perfect word that includes the nature of natural world and life. The things to flow change. It cannot be held the reality of a thing that changes. It is only possible to hold a fixed moment. It would be possible if the nature of natural world is ruined. In order to hold a moment nature has to be stopped. However stopping at this time would violate the nature of natural world. Anyhow, it is just a phenomenon of human consciousness to fix nature momentarily.

 

However, nature is insensible, indifferent, and irrelevant from it. The reason why the sculptress chose 'EcoFlow' as a theme for her works might be her intention to show a certain realm or invisible dimension, that is, the inestimable size and depth of ecological environment including human beings and nature through the works rather than themselves. Probably it would be right.