Kim Tschang-Yeul first began painting waterdrops in the early 1970s, after he moved to Paris from New York. For the artist, a practicing Taoist, the waterdrops embody the Eastern philosophical idea of “full emptiness”, and reflect the human condition of being at once wonderful and ordinary, vulnerable and adaptable. By suspending time and gravity, Kim asks viewers to celebrate the briefness of water, as well as their own mortality. Kim’s painting practice is also directly related to the traumas of his youth. Born in Maengsan, South Pyogan, in what is now North Korea, Kim witnessed Japanese occupation, the rise of communism, and suppression of free speech during his coming of age. His long term dedication to the humble water droplet is a kind of meditative repetition -- a means to work through his own painful memories. Through finding beauty in austerity and clarity in simplicity, Kim strives to eliminate ‘ego’ in order to attain true peace.

Although Kim Tschang-Yeul was initially interested in hyperrealism with his waterdrops, over time he began to use a more painterly approach, switching away from his original technique of using an airbrush and incorporating oil and acrylic painting in more vibrant and bold colors. Up close, the hand of the artist is much more visible. In Waterdrops (2009), Kim incorporates a tactility by painting his waterdrops onto compressed sand, further suspending them in a contradictory state of wholeness and impermanence.

Kim Tschang-Yeul has official representation by Tina Kim Gallery since 2019.