Rain Washes the Body, Enlightenment Cleanses the Soul

GuGu, which means “ninety-nine” in Korean and Chinese, is Kim’s pen name and the name of his studio in Seoul. Instead of using a brush, Kim painted this work with both his fingers and his hands. He also stamped the ink onto the canvas with the ridges of his fingerprints, a technique he refers to as “fingerstamping,” an innovation to the centuries-long East Asian tradition of painting with fingers and nails. The title of the painting was given by the donor, who recently gifted the work to the museum at the request of the artist. Kim had initially titled the painting Nirvana (yeolban in Korean), which is written on the back and is a reference to the final passing of Shakyamuni Buddha during the lifetime in which he achieved the state of enlightenment.