Ho Jae Kim’s new paintings at Harper’s Gallery in Chelsea manifest a divine light perceived just beyond reach through archways or stage backdrops. As he was preparing work for this show, this young Brooklyn-based artist’s step-father ended his own life, prompting Kim’s desire to help his family heal and appreciate the beauty of life. Inspired by Dante’s vision of supernatural light as he ascended from the Inferno to Purgatory in ‘The Divine Comedy,’ Kim announces the arrival of hope through floods of bright color that counter the literal deep waters surrounding the marooned character in this painting. (On view through May 6th).
