Kim Yong-Ik, an artist who has maintained a distinct stance amid the dominant artistic movements in Korea, is the subject of the solo exhibition To the Last Generation, Kim Yong-Ik at Art Archives, Seoul Museum of Art. Spanning Kim’s artistic journey from the 1970s through his recent works that convey messages about civilization and the environment, the exhibition closely examines the artist's vast body of work, including modernist, conceptual, and public art.

The exhibition unfolds in tandem with Kim’s changing aesthetic perspective over the years. His artistic journey has undergone a transformative shift over the years, evolving from the early explorations of visual perception, conceptualism, and modernist theories to later works examining the ontological aspects of art, humanity, and civilization. Navigating through the showcase of 38 major works and more than 300 archival materials, visitors can examine how Kim’s underlying philosophies have developed over time.

The exhibition includes a recreation of Untitled (Dedicated to the 1st Young Artists Exhibition in 1981) (1981), which declared the conclusion of his early groundbreaking series Plane Object (1977) by presenting the work wrapped in packing materials and enclosed inside a box. Also on view is Triptych (1970–2022), which encapsulates five decades of Kim’s practice in three sections housed within a single wooden case, drawing inspiration from the European religious tradition. Presented on one wall is documentation of Cauterization in the Desert Gobi, a performance piece in which the artist stuck a long fishing pole into the Gobi Desert, symbolizing a form of moxibustion in the hope of cleansing the planet from all forms of waste.

Running as a common thread throughout the exhibition are the artist's questions aimed at his contemporaries: “What kind of art should we create?” and “What kind of people should we be?” To Kim, this self-criticism is a means of ongoing critical practice targeting art as a dominant power structure as well as other systems and institutions across society. Kim humbly recognizes the limitations of art and the contradictions within himself, suggesting the possibility of alternative attitudes and perceptions through art. To the Last Generation, Kim Yong-Ik continues until November 19.