As part of the “Le monde comme il va” exhibition at the Bourse De Commerce in Paris, South Korean artist Kimsooja presents a captivating installation titled To Breathe – Constellation. Situated in the Rotunda of the museum, this artwork is a breathtaking combination of grandeur and ethereal beauty. It features a vast mirror laid on the ground, which, when approached, distorts the surrounding architecture by Tadao Ando, creating the illusion of the sky beneath our feet.
Kimsooja’s artistic vision extends further throughout the Passage and the lower level of the museum, where 24 display cases showcase her works and video installations. These pieces delve into her recurring themes of identity, borders, memory, exile, movement, and weaving. Kimsooja’s intention is to create art that is as essential as water and air, something that cannot be possessed but can be shared by all. Describing herself as a ‘cosmopolitan anarchist,’ Kimsooja employs a metaphorical approach in her art, using her own body as an anonymous and almost imperceptible entity. Her stillness and upright stance symbolize a needle weaving through the fabric of the world.
The mirror on the floor of the Bourse de Commerce’s Rotunda serves a similar purpose, replacing the body and reflecting the other. Through this mirror, our gaze becomes a thread that moves back and forth, delving into our own selves and connecting us to the reality and inner world of others. It is a fabric woven by our own gaze, constantly ebbing and flowing. In harmony with Tadao Ando’s philosophy of emptiness and boundlessness in architecture, Kimsooja covers the Rotunda floor with a reflective mirror. This elevates the artwork beyond being a mere object or installation, transforming it into an indispensable experiential journey.
The artist’s creative process involves a transformation of the architectural space, resulting in a disorienting and weightless environment. This alteration of reality is achieved by manipulating the glass dome, causing the sky within to appear as if it is plunging into an immense abyss. Such a shift in perception challenges our understanding of space and disrupts our sense of gravity. By strategically carving out empty spaces within the structure, the artist prompts new sensations and invokes the idea that our bodies act as conduits, similar to the central figure portrayed in her performance video titled “Needle Woman,” which is also showcased in the Pinault Collection.
In this enigmatic video piece, entitled “A Needle Woman” and created between 1999 and 2000, Kimsooja positions herself at four distinct corners of the globe (Shanghai, Delhi, Tokyo, and New York). Standing alone with her back to the camera, she remains motionless, resembling an axis that interacts with and resists the chaotic nature of urban life. Within the lower level of the Bourse de Commerce, Kimsooja once again employs her own body metaphorically. Through its stillness and verticality, her body metaphorically threads the fabric of the world like a needle, humbly mending its ruptures and imperfections. Through this performance, the artist offers spectators a symbolic mirror that reflects both the image of a rapidly accelerating world and her own identity in relation to others.