Cadaques 2004

On her website, Korean born artist Cheonae Kim says that her art deals with form created by horizontal and vertical lines overlaid on a grid system. The lines for me are symbolic of our daily experience, which consists of opposite elements. Horizontal lines signify the passive, vertical lines the active or living. These forms also refer to certain sounds or language. Repetition is an important element in my work. She goes on to explain Another overriding aspect in my work is the maze. In many ways for me the human mind or condition can be very much like a maze. When you go through a passage or open a door, another appears. The painting and the repetition are like the maze. There is ongoing visual repletion, the similarity of the optical effect to sound, the endless winding through mental corridors. In effect, through the simplest of means—a vertical and a horizontal line in endless combinations—I explore my interest in the human condition.

In 2011, local artist Anthony Purcell was hired to create a 20' x 40' mural replicating one of Cheonae Kim's paintings on the side of a building in the M. Berger Industrial Park. The painting was titled Cadaques 2004. Michael Berger happens to be a contemporary art expert and dealer and he wanted to give something back to the community. He chose to do this by adding a work of art to the city that can be seen from both sides of the Monongahela river.

Mr Purcell created the mural using large panels, spread out on the floor inside the huge building. He then had them lifted and attached to the top of the former Republic Steel Building next to the Heritage Trail on the Southside.