Seoul, b. 1992

JiHyun Im explores painting through the close observation and magnification of plant surfaces. Seen at close range, the plant no longer appears as a single, unified form, but unfolds into layered strata, splitting grains, and flows of diffused color—separate yet continuous, forming a single mass. Through this, the plant is perceived not as a specific subject, but as a structure that generates sensation. The diffusion of red hues, smooth gloss, and dry, cracking textures evoke the surface of skin or internal tissue, revealing moments where form shifts into another mode of perception. Rather than reproducing the subject, the work follows the sensations that emerge through proximity, constructing the image by leaving or removing fragments of form. What matters is not what is depicted, but what kind of sensation is produced on the surface. The pictorial surface is treated like a kind of skin, where accumulated and abraded layers, permeating color, and traces of gloss and dryness overlap to form an organic structure. This surface does not remain fixed as an image, but persists in a state of continual change. Ultimately, the work does not aim to represent a specific subject, but explores the threshold between the moment just before form is recognized and the point at which it begins to dissolve, drawing attention to where the familiar becomes unfamiliar.