This study will examine the works of Kim Ku-lim, <From Phenomenon to Traces> (1970), with the social and political background of their time. Around the year 1970, Korean society was in turmoil. Its economy had been developing quickly during short period, and the industrialization in urban areas increased the population of cities, which brought out the collapse of traditional values and the rise of new ideas. Korean conventional artistic style had reached its limit to convey the ideas of avant-garde artists. In addition, it was at that time, when the public was under high surveillance and strict censorship which were conducted by the military regime of President Park Jeong-hui. Due to all these reasons, the artist Kim Ku-lim brought body movements, the surrounding environment, time flow, and locations into his artwork.
Since the late 1960's, Kim Ku-lim had started doing unconventional paintings, for example, burning plastic on canvas, and making holes on iron plates. In 1969, he gave up any forms and structures and moved to performances, happenings, and film making. In the year of 1970, Kim produced artworks, as known as <From Phenomenon to Traces>. There were all three of them produced in 1970: setting fire to grass, placing ice cubes on floors, and wrapping the Museum of Modern Art.
The first work of <From Phenomenon to Traces>, setting fire on grass is the first Earth Work executed in Korea. It introduced the urban environment into his own work, visualizing the invisible flow of time. In addition, a photograph which was taken at that day captured students in military training, marching and passing by the place, and accidently disclosed the political censorship of the period. The second work was showed at the AG Exhibition of experimental artists, and helped people to see the process of time, ice to water, water into air. People couldn't understand this work and laughed at it. The last one, wrapping museum was un-installed within 26 hours by the host sponsor, and revealed how conservative the Korean art institution was. It was the use of body movements and natural phenomenon, which was most interesting during the research on this subject. In the similar time-line, Kim was one of artists who introduced these things into his work. Lee Seung-Taek's 'Wind' series, for example, shared the same idea/ method, in which artists' job is only to set the condition of works and it is nature (wind for Lee, time for Kim) which completes the works.
Kim introduced nature and body movements, and it was because of Korean social and political condition of 1970. The Korean government promoted the economic development as its national goal, so the economic wealth became regarded as more important than the traditional customs and nature. Building and houses were built quickly to hold the fast-growing population in cities without long-term planning. During this process, nature was destroyed for buildings and houses. Moreover, the regime of military government seized its power for over ten years since the May 16th Coup and controlled the public with the threat of North Korea. Under the circumstance, Kim introduced natural phenomenon into his works and tried to evoke ideas, which had been often neglected during that period. And this is the reason why the works <From Phenomenon to Traces> has its value in the Korean art history.

Ⅰ. 머리말
 Ⅱ. 1970년의 사회와 김구림의 작품전개
 Ⅲ. 세 개의 <현상에서 흔적으로>(1970)
 Ⅳ. 맺음말

• 김동현(숙명여자대학교) | Kim Donghyoun