BYR 99 Prime Elements - kim heejo

BYR 99 Prime Elements




BYR Prime Elements establishes a unified system by correlating three distinct domains—human, nature, and the universe—with the chromatic and structural pairs of Blue–Square, Yellow–Triangle, and Red–Circle. However, this system does not operate as a fixed symbolic framework; rather, it functions as an open structure that is continuously transformed and reconfigured.
 
Each unit operates both as an independent formal element and as a relational node within the overall structure.
Through their combination, arrangement, and transformation, new states are continuously generated. In this process, the work does not culminate in a resolved form, but instead functions as a medium through which a mode of understanding and organizing the world is made visible.

            
360° Structural Recomposition: The Schematic Rotation
 
BYR Prime Elements is therefore not a singular formal outcome, but a foundational structure of the Schematic Medium, integrating human cognition, natural order, and cosmic dynamics into a single system of thought. It does not aim at representation, but at the organization of relationships; not at fixed form, but at an ongoing state of generation. In doing so, it proposes a possible language of contemporary practice that moves beyond form toward structure, and beyond completion toward continuous formation.
 


BYR as Schematic Medium
 
BYR Prime Elements consists of 99 units—33 each of Blue, Yellow, and Red—forming a systematic structure based on three chromatic axes. Each unit takes the form of a circular object with a diameter of 18 inches (45.72 cm) and a thickness of 1 inch (2.54 cm), designed to rotate 360 degrees around a central axis.
 
This rotational capacity is not merely a physical feature, but a structural condition that presupposes continuous transformation and reconfiguration rather than fixed form. What is essential here is not the individual object, but the relational structure formed among the units. Each unit functions as both an autonomous formal entity and a component within a larger system, generating new configurations through processes of combination, arrangement, and variation.
 
This structure does not converge toward a finalized composition; instead, it operates as an open system that presupposes change and expansion. In this sense, BYR Prime Elements is not adequately defined within the conventional categories of painting or sculpture. It is more precisely understood as a Schematic Medium—a system that reveals the very process through which the world is perceived and organized.

 
Blue & Square as Human
Human as a Structure of Perception and Order
Blue consists of 33 units based on the square. The square, originating from four points, represents one of the most fundamental structural forms, embodying stability and order. From this basic configuration, the units expand into various formal states through omission, extension, transformation, and their interaction with circular forms.


Blue & Square: 33 Units of Human Condition
 
This process directly corresponds to the way humans perceive and organize the world. Rather than encountering reality in its entirety, human cognition operates through frameworks and structures that filter, interpret, and give form to experience. The square thus functions as a structural metaphor for these frameworks—norms, systems of order, language, and social constructs.
 
Blue & Square reduces the operations of human existence—conscious and unconscious processes, memory and experience, regulation and freedom—into a structural system. It does not describe the human condition through narrative or emotion, but redefines it as a set of conditions through which the world is perceived and structured.


 
Yellow & Triangle as Nature
Nature as a Structure of Harmony and Recurrence
Yellow consists of 33 units derived from the equilateral triangle inscribed within a circle. The triangle, as the simplest stable geometric form, signifies the fundamental order and balance inherent in natural systems. These units generate a range of configurations based on principles such as repetition, symmetry, and rhythm.


Yellow & Triangle: 33 Units of Natural Order
 
This structure departs from anthropocentric perspectives and instead reveals the order of nature as a self-organizing system. Nature does not operate through intention or teleological direction; rather, it unfolds through cycles of repetition and variation, balance and disruption, generation and dissolution.
 
Yellow & Triangle presents these dynamics in an analytical and non-narrative manner. It does not represent nature as an image, but models the principles through which nature operates—harmony, rhythm, and recurrence. As such, this domain engages with a level of order that precedes and exceeds human systems of cognition.


 
Red & Circle as Universe
The Universe as Force, Flow, and Transformation
Red consists of 33 units that originate from the point. The point is both the origin of all form and a state without inherent directionality. Through its interaction with linear and curvilinear trajectories, it expands and shifts, generating a range of formal flows.


Red & Circle: 33 Units of Cosmic Dynamics
 
These flows evoke physical phenomena such as gravity, the movement of energy, orbital motion, and the propagation of light. Red therefore does not primarily concern form as a stable configuration, but rather the dynamics of force, transformation, and movement.
The circle represents the cyclical and expansive nature of these processes. Without a defined beginning or end, it embodies a continuous system of motion—generation and dissolution, displacement and reconfiguration.
 
Red & Circle presents the universe not as a fixed material entity, but as a dynamic system in constant operation. It articulates a perspective in which form is inseparable from force, and structure emerges from the continuous interaction of energies.

 
. . .
 

 
BYR Prime Elements articulates three distinct yet interconnected domains—human, nature, and the universe—within a single structural system. Each domain operates through its own schema, yet all are integrated within the broader framework of the Schematic Medium.
 
Rather than producing discrete objects, the work establishes a system in which form and concept are structurally organized and continuously reconfigured. In this sense, BYR Prime Elements does not represent the world, but reveals the conditions through which it is perceived, structured, and understood.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

What is 'Schematic Medium'?

‘Schematic Medium’ is the core methodology penetrating my artistic world. It is a structure of thinking that does not seek to reproduce the essence of the world, but rather to model how the world operates. This term is defined on two levels

Schematic Chart

The left sector of the chart contains a deep exploration into how I dissect and perceive the source of life and existence. Core concepts like 'Origin', 'Universe', 'Nature', and 'Chaos' are interwoven with the physical dimensions of 'Time' and 'Space.' This reveals that I perceive the world not as a mere phenomenon, but by deconstructing it into fundamental forces and orders. Crucially, the Holon philosophy offers an integrated perspective, showing that every entity is both 'the whole and the part', forming the core pillar of my ontological thought. This sector is the solid foundation of my artistic contemplation and the very manner in which I perceive the cosmos and the self.

Featured Characters

In the Schematic Chart, my emanated self, RD (Revolutionary Debris), appears alongside other characters. These characters show how my mind and artistic world are structured, and guide viewers to explore my world with enjoyment. Each character goes beyond being a simple symbol and carries the operating principles of the Schematic Medium and hints about forthcoming works. Through this, viewers do not merely appreciate my work but pre-experience another narrative and the possibility of expansion. In the end, this chart is a map that reflects a dimension we do not see in everyday life. Through it I clarify the way I understand and express the world and offer viewers a new visual and philosophical experience. I wish to share not only simple artistic expression but deep thinking and an original perspective.

BYR 99 Prime Elements

BYR 99 Prime Elements constitutes the most fundamental structural framework of Kim Heejo’s visual language. The series establishes the minimal unit of form through ninety‑nine elements—thirty‑three each of Blue, Yellow, and Red. Each element carries a specific formal code: Blue (square / human), Yellow (triangle / nature), and Red (circle / cosmos), and the relationships among these three elements generate the artist’s visual system.

BYR Organic Schemata

BYR Organic Schemata develops from the structure of BYR Prime Elements and demonstrates the organic expansion of the formal system. Through the combination and variation of the basic elements, new configurations of form and structure emerge. The series moves beyond simple geometric units to explore a more fluid and organic visual order.

BYR Quad Origin

BYR Quad Origin investigates the generative principles of form by reducing the fundamental elements of the BYR system into a geometric structure. Within the relationships between basic forms and colors, the works examine structure, balance, and tension. Through minimal compositions, the series reveals the structural foundation of the BYR visual language while allowing diverse formal variations.

Tri Form Series

The Tri Form Series rearticulates the conceptual structure of BYR Prime Elements as a unified system. Whereas Blue (Gyeok), Yellow (Hyeong), and Red (Gong) were previously presented as independent formative principles, here they are reconfigured to operate simultaneously within a single, integrated structure.

Core Searching series: ‘Semi-Circle & No.9’ Drawing Series

Core-Searching Drawings are early works that investigate the fundamental structure of the artist’s visual language. Through repeated variations of simple forms and signs, the drawings explore the process through which conceptual ideas transform into formal structures. These drawings mark the starting point of a visual system that later expands into painting and object-based works.

Core Searching series: Core Searching Paintings

Core Searching Paintings is a body of paintings that explores bodily movement and performative process through the fundamental formal language of BYR: the color system of Blue, Yellow, and Red, and the geometric structures of the square, triangle, and circle.

Core Searching series: Color Layered Line Drawing Series

“Color-Layered Line” Drawing Series is a body of work in which colored lines, generated through the movement of the artist’s hand across a measured distance, are layered and accumulated on the surface to form fundamental structures and formal relationships centered on the semicircle.