Metro Seoul | Kim Hyun Jung Solo Exhibition “A Tray of Eggs, Marrying Age”

Exhibition on the Theme of 'Marriage,' the New Holiday Stress for the Younger Generation ... Through September 14, at Keumboseong Art Center, Pyeongchang-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul

This "A Tray of Eggs, Marrying Age" exhibition presents works whose view expands, through the institution of marriage, from 'me' to 'the world around me,' including the potential others with whom I will form close relationships. / Photo = Reporter Lee Min-hee

A solo exhibition by Kim Hyun Jung, the young icon of Korean painting, is being held from the 2nd through the 14th on the 1st floor of Keumboseong Art Center in Pyeongchang-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

This exhibition is held with the support of the Korean Fine Arts Association and Keumboseong Art Center, to commemorate artist Kim Hyun Jung's Korea Young Artist Award.

Kim Hyun Jung's 23rd solo exhibition, "A Tray of Eggs, Marrying Age," deals with the process of establishing a sense of self, caught in conflict between the roles others expect of you within relationships and what you truly want for yourself, extending the line of Kim's 'Naesoong series.'

This exhibition, "A Tray of Eggs, Marrying Age," cheerfully captures the artist's struggle, as she faces the real-world issue of marriage, with the identity she must confront in new roles as someone's wife, daughter-in-law, and eventually mother. The artist wants to convey how she and her peers in the younger generation are coming to terms with the daunting uncertainty of achieving financial independence, the fear of the unknown territory of childbirth and childrearing, and the pressure of the role of daughter-in-law.

Artist Kim said, "I thought the composition and coloring of famous paintings could be effectively used to express the message a painter wants to convey. The element of wit in parodying masterpieces can help ease the weight that comes with a sensitive subject like marriage. If you imagine parents and their children of marriageable age coming to see this exhibition together, the charm of that wit will shine all the brighter."

"What does marriage mean to my peers, who have now reached 'a tray of eggs' in age?"

The artist said, "Among the older generation, there are those who, even while saying 'we just happened to marry when it was time,' still make the unreasonable demand that young people today 'must marry because it's time.' I think that way of thinking is dangerous. Shouldn't you at least think through why you should get married in the first place?" / Photo = Reporter Lee Min-hee

Kim Hyun Jung said, "I thought I'd be unshaken even if my mother's lament that 'my only wish this year is for my daughter to get married' kept echoing like it always does, but at some point I realized it had built up into real stress, and my work had started staring straight at the subject of marriage."

Through this series, the artist wants to show the growth process of establishing one's place as a member of society.

Kim Hyun Jung, Marriage: Exhaustion, ink and light color on hanji, collage, 125 x 190cm, 2019 / Photo = Kim Hyun Jung Art Center

The artist said, "The Chuseok holiday is a time when young people think more about marriage and hear more often that 'it's time, so you should get married.' I'd recommend that people who have reached 'a tray of eggs' in age take a trip with their parents to Pyeongchang-dong, with its fresh air and quiet streets, over the Chuseok holiday. If you naturally end up exchanging your thoughts and worries while looking at these fun works, perhaps the generational gap in thinking can narrow a little. I hope it becomes a time when family members view the exhibition together, share small impressions, and come to understand one another better."

Kim Hyun Jung, Marriage: Worlds Apart, ink and light color on hanji, collage, 199 x 428cm, 2019 / Photo = Kim Hyun Jung Art Center

At a survey corner set up in the exhibition space, visitors can organize their own thoughts while also getting a glimpse into the views on marriage held across all generations. This exhibition was also done in collaboration with Studio A Part (photographer Kim Do-hyung) and Golden Needle (director Kim Young-mi). Visitors can glimpse the artist's various endeavors, including a photo exhibition in which Kim Hyun Jung herself modeled, and can also take part in various events designed to blow away holiday stress.

Kim Hyun Jung graduated from Sunhwa Arts Middle School and Sunhwa Arts High School, then graduated from Seoul National University's Department of Oriental Painting and Department of Business Administration, receiving the alumni association's president's award. She went on to earn a master's degree in Oriental Painting at Seoul National University's graduate school and completed her doctoral coursework in the same program. She currently serves as a publicity ambassador for the City of Seoul and lectures at various universities and companies.

She has held 22 solo exhibitions under the theme of 'Naesoong,' with shows selling out and sparking a variety of topics of discussion. Her fresh ideas, themes, and techniques have earned her the reputation of being 'bold,' and she is drawing attention as a promising figure in the Korean art world for attempting change while grounded in the theory and technique of orthodox Oriental painting.

Kim Hyun Jung's 2013 solo exhibition 'Naesoong Story' was a fresh shock to audiences and caused a major stir, and her subsequent solo exhibitions 'Naesoong Olympics' (2014) and 'Naesoong Amusement Park' (2016) likewise drew acclaim from countless visitors. In particular, the 2016 exhibition set the record for the most cumulative visitors to a solo exhibition by a domestic artist, at 67,402. Kim was invited to exhibit at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea as its youngest-ever artist, and has held invitational solo exhibitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Goethe-Institut in Germany, continuing to exhibit both at home and abroad.

Reporter Lee Min-hee, Metro Seoul, lmh@metroseoul.co.kr — See more articles

Written by — Reporter Lee Min-hui