Kim Hyun Jung x Perrier

A Naesoong girl, thirsty from pedaling her bicycle, was invited to a sparkling-water brand’s 150th birthday.

From July 4 to 14, 2013, I took part in the 〈Artists Meet Water〉 exhibition at The Gallery in Hongdae, held to mark Perrier’s 150th anniversary. It was a group show of eleven artists, including Kwon Tae-eun, Kim Geu-rim, Noh Hye-young and Jeong Hye-ryeon, and I presented 〈Coy: xenitis〉 (ink and light color with collage on hanji, 128×188cm, 2013), a painting of a Naesoong girl riding a bicycle. ‘Xenitis’ is a word that means freedom, or a stranger; the work captures how, on days when my heart feels stifled, I long to get on a bicycle and ride freely, like a stranger in town. The lines of the bicycle spokes and the earphone cord stand out in this painting, and the spokes alone took me more than two days to draw.

The thirst after a hard ride and a cool sip of sparkling water: it was a combination that went strangely well with an exhibition about meeting water.