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The Cheerful Naesoong of a Hanbok-Clad "Cool City Girl": Meeting Korean Painter Kim Hyun Jung!

Here is a woman dressed in hanbok. It's an outfit that seems better suited to needlework or calligraphy, yet astonishingly, in her hand is a half-eaten bowl of jjajangmyeon. Sitting in a posture far removed from that of a demure lady, dining off a ramen box as though it were a table, she is at once unfamiliar and strangely captivating.

('Naesoong: What a Beautiful Life / Feign: What a Beautiful Life / 装相 : 人生是美丽的,' ink and light color with collage on mulberry paper)

Through the figure of a woman behaving in ways at odds with her hanbok, Kim Hyun Jung speaks to the honest emotions and behavior hidden behind Naesoong.

"I began painting to heal from the hurt caused by people who are different on the inside than they appear, and to caricature them. But as I kept painting, the protagonist in the picture increasingly felt like myself. Once I realized that I, too, was someone who cared about how others saw me, I started painting self-portraits, and I've been capturing that in my 'Naesoong' series ever since."

('Naesoong: #Snow White-gram / Feign: #Snow White-gram / 装相 : #白雪公主gram,' ink and light color with collage on mulberry paper)

Kim Hyun Jung is already a young artist drawing attention both at home and abroad. Not long ago, the U.S. magazine Forbes Asia named her one of the '30 Under 30 Asia.' In 2014, she was also selected for the Dong-A Ilbo's '100 People Who Will Shine Korea in Ten Years.' Despite working in Korean painting, she enjoys broad popular appeal — more than 67,000 people visited her solo exhibition last year.

Kim Hyun Jung's Naesoong series is also praised as a '21st-century genre painting' for humorously portraying the lives and emotions of contemporary people. It's also notable for drawing on a wide range of objects that reveal the character of our times.

('Naesoong: New Year's Resolution (feat. From Tomorrow) / Feign: New Year's Resolution (feat. From Tomorrow) / 装相 : 新年決心(feat.从明天开始),' ink and light color with collage on mulberry paper)

"Now I Need IT Devices Even to Paint Korean Painting"

Despite the unfamiliarity of the 'Korean painting' genre, her work reaches us easily and intimately. That's because she captures intuitive, instantly understandable messages within familiar everyday scenes. But the production process behind it is far from easy.

"First I sketch the figure in the nude, then go through the process of dressing her in hanbok. For the jeogori (hanbok top), I collage hand-dyed hanji to express the crisp, rustling texture unique to hanbok. For the skirt, I use gradations of ink wash to render it semi-transparent, conveying the message that 'you can see right through her.'"

Over a process that takes anywhere from two to six months, mobile phones and tablets are a welcome presence that boost efficiency and reduce trial and error.

"[Portion illegible due to faded scan]"

IT devices also help when selecting and arranging the colors of the various objects in her work — a light pink jeogori, bright red high heels, and more.

"I Care How My Work Looks on Screen"

"I pull the image up on screen and look for color combinations that create synergy centered on the three primary colors. Will this color draw attention? What color would work well as an accent? I keep trying different colors, over and over."

For artists, a display's ability to render color accurately is critical. It lets them try countless colors without limitation and get a sense of the finished result in advance.

"Whether the colors in my work look the same online as they do offline is something every artist is sensitive about."

She speaks about the importance of display quality not only during the production stage but also when viewers appreciate the finished work.

"These days, most people encounter a work on screen before seeing it in person, so I inevitably pay close attention to how it looks on screen. If it looks good even at a small size, that's what moves people and leads them to visit the exhibition. Getting the black ink tones right is especially difficult in Korean painting. I even proof the printing myself. After pouring so much care into the work, it's incredibly frustrating when it shows up as a different color on screen. Smartphones with OLED displays have great color expression, but their black reproduction is especially outstanding. I felt the contrast and details of my work came through vividly."

"I Hope More People Grow Close to Art"

Kim Hyun Jung is known for actively communicating with fans by sharing various activities related to her work on social media. Behind this is her dream of 'creating a world where anyone can easily enjoy art.'

"People tend to find Korean painting intimidating. It seems like you first need to understand the artist's intent, as if there's some special way to 'read' a painting. But we enjoy film or music without necessarily knowing the creator's intent. I hope that explaining my work through social media and meeting fans through interviews helps narrow the gap that exists between the public and art."

This is also the context behind her incorporation of 'social drawing' — a process in which the public and the artist discuss and complete a work together through social media — into her practice. It reflects her wish that the public come to feel closer to and more familiar with art.

By the end of the interview, the sight of her dressed in hanbok while holding cutting-edge IT devices no longer felt unfamiliar. We hope her playful, fresh imagination continues to bring delight into the everyday lives of many.