Meet Insuk Lim, Foot-Painter (Elated Pixelations Interview #4)

The Whispers of The Objects

Mar 29, 2022

[UPDATE 11-21-22 Out of the three galleries owned by Mr. Insuk Lim in the Voxels virtual world, one remains (possibly due to the NFT ‘bear’ market?), Insuk Lim Gallery. However, as of this update, none of the artist’s works there are linked to a marketplace, so ALL ARTWORKS LINKS HERE are currently inactive at his remaining gallery. I reached out to Mr. Insuk Lim and hope to be able to report the new location of his artwork soon].

Flying around Cryptovoxels like I often do, I “discovered” artist Insuk Lim's virtual gallery - Insuk Lim CG Gallery, that is - on the recently minted Andromeda Island. I was immediately taken in by the maturity of art presented there: there were no Apes, Cats, Pandas, or various skulls of any kind. Those are all in abundance on CV. This was very, very different, and a welcome sight to eyes sore from abuse by too many mammal profile pics. Lim's art varies in mood but not in quality. Whether the piece is solemn or playful, abstract, natural, or surreal, it is always of high quality and emotional content. Delighted and impressed, I reached out to Mr. Lim, which was easy to do because his contact information is readily available (artists take note!) at the entrances to one of his galleries on Andromeda.

Mr. Lim’s in-gallery Bio saves research time + makes the gal more memorable.

Virtual variety: Insuk Lim’s CG Gallery on Cryptovoxels

Note: Mr. Lim’s galleries - links in article and at end - are easily viewable both on desktop and mobile, as are all locations in Cryptovoxels.

Mr. Lim, there are so many wonderful pieces at your galleries on Andromeda Island in Cryptovoxels, so choosing some to talk about was very difficult. I am starting with Wind Song simply because it is the first piece I encountered after flying into your Insuk Lim CG Gallery. Please discuss Wind Song. It seems to be textured. How was it made and what inspired this piece?

Wind Song by Insuk Lim. The background is his CG gallery on Cryptovoxels.

Wind Song was first done with oil painting and then completed with Photoshop. It is a work that transformed texture and color. [It depicts] World history made by weathering as the wind blows. I tried to capture the joys and sorrows, dreams, despair and prayers.

It is very interesting to find various faces within the work. Moving on, please talk about the Road to Excitement.

The Road to Excitement is Photoshop-filtered photos of roses and my oil painting Shyness, as the background.

A sophisticated, digital take on a picture within a picture. One work referring to another.

Wing is very bright and in a very different style than most of your paintings. Were you venturing into another style? It has a very modern feeling to it.

[Wing] I draw lines and colors according to the flow of my heart and emotions, rather than simply inside the frame. [I would say to any artist] find your style so you find something completely different.

I took a good second look at Contemplation and believe I see a bird in the flames...is this so? If so, why do flames represent contemplativeness to you?

[Contemplation] Firebirds are burning-hot emotions. The joys and sorrows burn like fire. Makes me lose General Cheonha, who protects a village, and like a Buddhist practitioner, it expresses contemplation in the midst of such a fire. The original was an oil painting, and the fire was emphasized using Photoshop.

[When I asked Mr. Lim for clarification, this was his response] 'Cheonhadaejang-gun' means the largest male general under the sky. This [indicates protection and] means safe-guarding the village. In the picture, it means protecting my heart.

Jangseung. According to Wikipedia, a 'jangseung' - or village guardian - is a Korean totem pole usually made of wood. Jangseungs were traditionally placed at the edges of villages to mark village boundaries and frighten away demons. They were also worshipped as protective village deities.

Moving on, Silence is one of my top favorites of your artwork. It is beautiful, yet also quite sad to me. I also get a feeling of warning from it, as if a lesson was presented and should be learned again.

Thank you. Silence is a silent cry. Silence in waiting. The original is an oil painting, and the colors and textures are expressed differently, again using Photoshop.

Dog eats grass is a generous title, Mr. Lim, because it solves the mystery of the subject, for me at least!

Dog Eats Grass. The Valley of The Chest. Both by Insuk Lim.

There is a Korean saying, “The sound of a dog eating grass.” To a person who says nonsense about the common sense that dogs do not eat grass: I mean, the truth is, when a dog soothes his stomach or gets food stuck in his teeth. It eats grass. I expressed the dog's face with a spear. A woman is standing by the window.

That is abstract in the absolute. More on the canine grass habit here: https://pets.webmd.com/dogs/why-do-dogs-eat-grass My internal stand-up comedy Guy says: “We might smoke grass, but dogs eat it.”

The title of the next artwork [ABOVE RIGHT] is unknown to me, since there is no link to the marketplace at the gallery. Perhaps that is intentional - a surprise, maybe? Well it only enhances the desire to know more about this masterpiece. I will ask you to please explain it. Let's start with the woman in the middle of all that trouble (laughs). I admire the color contrasts and activity here!

The title of the piece is Valley of the Chest, and it shows hot passion and harsh reality [as both flutter] in the valley of the heart. A wolf [is] in the moonlight. [There is] roaring and wind noise, and the hut is unpopular [not desirable to live in. These are the different things depicted in that artwork].

Thank you for that, Mr. Lim. And there are many, many more pieces at Insuk Lim CG gallery. What does the CG stand for by the way?

CG stands for computer graphics.

Mr. Lim I recently discovered another gallery of yours on the same Island, Insuklim Gallery [no CG in the title - the only way to distinguish the two]. (gallery page, DIWL) It seems to be very new, with only a few pieces. I'd like to ask you about three of them: Spring News, Wind, and Jeju Horse. We’ll start with Spring News. It seems to me that Spring News is three paintings in one, but done in such a way that does not overwhelm the viewer. What was on your mind when you made this piece? Anything specific your were trying to communicate?

Spring News takes place after a long winter, with new life. It marks the beginning of a new hope.

Wind is my next favorite from this gallery because it is so peaceful - I can stare in it and get lost. With Spring News I stare and try to take in all the details but am too focused to get lost in the same way. Very interesting the effect these have on the audience!

Yes. Wind tries to express the sound of the wind, and waves on the beach. I feel it is successful at doing those things. The winds are free in the sky.

Jeju Horse is another favorite because it was great for me to see you paint animals, which is not often in your galleries in Cryptovoxels so far. By the way, it was interesting to learn that Jeju is a volcanic island!

[Yes, it is]. Also, the term “Jejuma” expresses peace, abundance and trust.

Thank you for your time and clarifications regarding these artworks, Mr. Lim. I look forward to seeing more pieces at your newer gallery in Cryptovoxels, as well as hearing about any other projects you will be involved in this year.

Thank you very much for your interest.

Note: Artist Insuk Lim has a THIRD gallery, on the island of Seoul in Cryptovoxels, ALSO called Insuk Lim CG Gallery (DIWL).