Monthly Chosun | Craftsman — Kim Hyun Jung, the ‘Naesoong’ Painter Who Uncovers Sensual Instinct
An interview with Korean painter Kim Hyun Jung in the 'Craftsman' section of Monthly Chosun's April 2016 issue, introducing the concept and technique behind her 'Naesoong' series depicting a semi-transparent girl in hanbok. It covers the impression left by her mother's hanbok, a working method inspired by paper-doll play, and the 'social drawing' concept of reflecting SNS feedback into her work, among other elements of her creative philosophy. Text and photos by Seo Kyung-ri, Monthly Chosun reporter.
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Craftsman
Painter Kim Hyun Jung
'Naesoong,' Uncovering Sensual Instinct
Text and photos: Seo Kyung-ri, Monthly Chosun reporter
A young-faced girl in hanbok. The milky-white thigh revealed beneath a skirt subtly hiked up draws the eye. Riding amusement rides and eating tteokbokki throughout, one can't help but wonder what the expressionless girl is really thinking. There is a rookie artist who, while keeping true to Korean painting technique, works with fresh ideas, subject matter, and expressive methods. She is Kim Hyun Jung (28), who has risen as the idol of the Korean gallery world.
"Ever since I was young, I felt attached to the hanbok my mother wore. I thought of the skirt as being mysterious and cosmic, like my mother's womb."
Her work draws on the paper-doll play she loved as a child. She draws the outline of the body and paints the skirt over it in ink-and-light-color technique. For the jeogori (jacket), to bring out detail, she tears dyed, thin hanji paper into layers and pastes them on. The most important point is that she herself is reflected within the vast, cosmos-like expanse of the skirt. The semi-transparent hanbok, applied to everyday and slightly absurd behavior, carries the message that 'you can see right through it.' From ⟨Naesoong Stories⟩, ⟨Naesoong Olympics⟩, ⟨Naesoong Winter Story⟩ to ⟨Naesoong Amusement Park⟩ — every 'Naesoong' series she has released contains fragments of youth's worries alongside the emotions and concerns expressed through everyday life.
Before painting a work, at the sketching stage. She looks at a photograph she's taken, traces from it to draw on small paper, scans it, and tries out various colors digitally in advance.
"While studying Korean painting, I wanted to depict witty stories rather than only plum-bamboo-orchid-chrysanthemum type subjects. Cooking ramyeon in the studio, yet going out to drink expensive coffee. I wanted to wryly express myself — wearing an elegant, refined hanbok while not behaving that way at all. In a sense, it's a self-portrait."
The work is rooted entirely in traditional technique, but the process itself is digitized. She conceives an idea, photographs herself as the model, traces from that, and then tries out colors in Photoshop. Also new is the process of painting together based on opinions received through SNS.
Traditional pigments, brushes, and ink that artist Kim Hyun Jung uses to dye hanji or paint on canvas.
"I've received a lot of feedback through SNS. In art, conception and interpretation take up a huge part, so I thought it would be interesting to receive subject matter through SNS and work on the process together. It's about using collective intelligence."
She calls this practice 'social drawing.' Recently she has also been trying new things, such as figure work using a 3D printer and paper toys — a new attempt at three-dimensionalizing flat Korean painting.
"I don't want to deceive myself. Rather than to show off to others, I want to leave an honest record of myself, a diary. As life changes, my paintings will change a great deal too, and I look forward to that. Rather than being a star artist, I want to remain someone who paints for a long time."
A recently attempted large-scale paper toy work.
⟨Naesoong Garden⟩ ink and light color on hanji, collage, 234×413cm, 2016
⟨Being a Woman, You Know⟩ ink and light color on hanji, collage, 159×115cm, 2016
⟨An Installment Life⟩ ink and light color on hanji, collage, 159×115cm, 2016