SUMMER OF THAT YEAR

Im Cheul Kyun

Summer of That Year

2025

Resin and enamel paint

H 30 cm x W 40 cm x D 30 cm / H 11.81 in x W 15.75 in x D 11.81 in

Limited edition of 1 + 1 AP (Artist’s Proof)

Certificate of Authenticity included

Every artwork travels protected with the same care with which it was chosen.

Im Cheul Kyun (South Korea) grew up in the 1990s surrounded by toy models, animation, film and nature documentaries, an early fascination with the natural world — observing animals, plants, insects and fish — that shaped his path toward drawing and, eventually, sculpture. He went on to major in sculpture, and since 2019 has centered his practice on the narrative concept of “Turtle and Steelhead,” first conceived in 2008, using meticulously crafted toy-like sculptural forms to explore themes of life and death, the environment and war. His work is particularly sought after among collectors in Japan, the United Arab Emirates and South Korea.

Summer of That Year layers the remnants of war with the persistence of life.

The turtle, carrying a helmet marked by clearly visible bullet holes on its back, becomes a portrait of a being that continues to live in the present while carrying the scars of the past. The procession of ants crawling over the helmet creates an ambiguous landscape — perhaps an unnamed hill, perhaps the remains of memory. Their collective movement symbolizes nature’s resilience while reminding us that we are still living upon the wounds left behind.

The title of the work refers to a particular past while simultaneously evoking the present. “That year” may not simply indicate a specific moment in history; it may also be the summer of a present that continues to repeat itself.

This ambiguity reveals how the memory of war continues to shape the present, resurfacing again and again through life and the environment.

To collect Summer of That Year is to own a meticulously crafted 2025 resin sculpture from a Korean artist whose toy-like forms have found a devoted following among collectors in Japan, the United Arab Emirates and South Korea — an extremely limited edition of just one piece plus one artist’s proof, from a body of work built patiently over more than fifteen years.