TenAsia | World-Renowned Korean Painter Kim Hyun Jung’s Unconventional Life as an Artist? (“Grasshopper Playing with Ants”)
TenAsia reported that Korean painter Kim Hyun Jung, appearing on MBN's "Grasshopper Playing with Ants," revealed the behind-the-scenes story of her signature "Naesoong series," showing the unconventional daily life of an artist. On the show, Kim revealed her process of modeling herself in hanbok and flower shoes in sweltering heat at various locations, and was shown touring an open-air museum displaying Van Gogh's works alongside Kim Min-ah.
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Korean painter Kim Hyun Jung of "Grasshopper Playing with Ants" revealed the unconventional behind-the-scenes story of her work.
MBN's "Grasshopper Playing with Ants" (planned by Kim Chang-jae, directed by Ahn Dong-su and Jung Hae-jun), broadcast on the 9th (Mon), depicted the intense daily life of Korean painter Kim Hyun Jung, who has shaken up the art world from the start with her unconventional artistic worldview. Kim, both model and painter, captivated viewers by revealing in detail the story behind the creation of her works.
First, Kim Hyun Jung drew attention by introducing her signature "Naesoong series," which blends elegant hanbok with modern daily life to convey her distinctive wit. Paintings of a woman in hanbok eating jjajangmyeon using a delivery box as a desk, shopping for imported snacks, and reinterpreting existing famous paintings with witty stories followed one after another. As Kim's fresh works continued, the MCs offered praise like "unique" and "cool."
Not stopping there, Kim Hyun Jung drew even more attention by revealing the behind-the-scenes story of how her works are created. Kim showed her tenacious spirit by personally modeling in gorgeous hanbok and flower shoes in sweltering heat. Amid people's stares, her passion for staging distinctive scenes at all kinds of locations, from exercise equipment to amusement rides, stood out.
Above all, Kim Hyun Jung revealed the source of her ideas, saying, "I get inspired by ordinary, everyday life." She shared her thoughts: "Every moment is an idea—the question is how sharply you capture it." Her story of how the "Naesoong series" was born from a fleeting conversation with a professor was so compelling it prompted the reaction, "Everyday life is work, and it's art."
Meanwhile, Kim Min-ah spread healing that day by preparing an art trip for Kim Hyun Jung. Kim Min-ah guided Kim Hyun Jung to an open-air museum displaying as many as 20 works by Van Gogh. Kim Hyun Jung, in turn, explained Van Gogh's works one by one, just like a museum curator. Hearing the story of Van Gogh through the voice of the globally recognized artist Kim Hyun Jung added to the interest.
Kim Hyun Jung—dubbed by Forbes as an influential figure and the youngest Korean ever to hold a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, among other glittering accolades—led a life that was intensity itself. Her sweat and effort truly shone through in the creation of her unconventional works. It was a time when viewers, too, could get a fresh vicarious experience of her life united with art.
Meanwhile, "Grasshopper Playing with Ants" is a program in which MCs who know how to have the best time, the "grasshoppers," help heal the "worker ants" from all walks of life who have run hard while working diligently. It airs every Monday at 11 p.m.
Reporter Cha Hye-young, TenAsia