BYR Organic Schemata
A Plastic Experiment in Arrangement and Transformation
BYR Organic Schemata (OS) is a series constructed from circular units. Each unit incorporates chromatic elements (Blue, Yellow, Red) and geometric structures within itself, maintaining its own formal integrity while being designed to connect with others.
Heejo Kim BYR Organic Schemata (R OS) — Formation of structure through the combination of individual units
These units are not presented in a fixed configuration. Instead, they are organized through processes of arrangement, combination, rotation, and separation. Even when the same units are used, the overall configuration continuously shifts depending on their position and relational context, never settling into a single, predetermined form.
Transformation of Form and Formation of Relations
A defining characteristic of the OS series lies in the way the overall structure changes fluidly according to how units are connected. When two or more units are combined, each retains its own form while simultaneously generating a new contour. The center and directional orientation of the structure shift depending on the mode of connection. Through rotation, identical configurations may produce entirely different visual impressions, while the removal or separation of certain units leads the structure toward a new state of balance.
These transformations do not move toward a single final form, but unfold as a continuous transition among multiple possible states.
Form as an Operative System
Rather than presenting a singular image or fixed composition, this work foregrounds the process through which form is produced and transformed. The units are combined according to a set of conditions, yet their outcomes do not converge into a single resolution. Depending on their arrangement, the structure may expand or contract; its center may shift or disperse; and the overall formal configuration continuously changes. Viewers are able to physically manipulate and reconfigure the structure, directly experiencing how form transforms through their engagement. In this sense, the work operates not as a static object, but as a system that makes its own conditions of transformation perceptible.
Formation of Meaning
In the OS series, meaning is not fixed in a specific symbol or image. Instead, it emerges through the relationships formed among the units and through their continual transformation. Even when the same elements are used, different arrangements produce different perceptual conditions. A configuration may appear stable or dispersed, dense or expanded, depending on how the units are positioned and related. These shifts generate distinct visual experiences without relying on representational content. The work thus does not emphasize form as a fixed entity, but focuses on how form is produced, altered, and experienced through relational conditions.
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The BYR Organic Schemata (OS) series demonstrates a process in which identical units generate a wide range of structures through repeated acts of combination and separation. Rather than presenting a single resolved form, the series is centered on the conditions through which form changes and the multiple states that emerge as a result. The work is therefore not defined as a fixed image, but as a structure that remains open—continuously subject to transformation through arrangement and relation.
In this sense, OS can be understood as a key phase within the Schematic Medium, where the focus shifts from form itself to the conditions that produce and transform it.
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.
