White Paper | [Slow Culture] Her Naesoong Is Beautiful… Kim Hyun Jung Solo Exhibition ‘Naesoong Amusement Park’

[White Paper = Reporter Kim Dong-min] A young woman is, in herself, a mystery. A woman in her twenties, actively adorning herself with elaborate makeup and fashion, is more than enough to stir curiosity in an observer. For this reason, people commonly judge a woman's character based on rough guesses drawn from her appearance. They form arbitrary evaluations by fusing a woman's fragmentary words and behavior with her outward look. It is in this same context that neologisms like 'doenjang-nyeo' and 'kimchi-nyeo' have emerged, and that the 'sexual objectification' of women has become a recent problem, especially through mainstream media.

Korean painter Kim Hyun Jung's solo exhibition 'Naesoong Amusement Park,' running at Gallery Is in Gwanhun-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul since the 16th, confidently confronts this perception. Standing at the tail end of her twenties, Kim Hyun Jung places her self-portrait 'Naesoong Girl,' a projection of her own everyday self, at the forefront of her work. As a young woman, she unabashedly reveals inner desires rarely shown to others.

In Kim Hyun Jung's work, Naesoong Girl indulges openly in transgression, dressed in see-through hanbok. Carrying a luxury bag, she shops, or sprawls on the floor at home, wolfing down ramen. Filled with vanity, she snaps photos to post on SNS, or rides a motorcycle like a biker gang member. It's as if a genre painting from a Joseon-era art textbook has been reborn in a 21st-century version. It's surprising how delightful Korean painting — once thought so far removed from contemporary life — can be.

'Installment Life' is the work the artist holds most dear among those in this exhibition. Herself possessing a real kidult (kid + adult) sensibility, the artist appears to sit in a bumper car reminiscent of the car from the game 'KartRider,' exuding pure childlike innocence. A super car, a Lamborghini, tied with a bundle of balloons, oddly matches the work's title, 'Installment Life.'

The work 'Sampo Generation Miss Kim,' addressing the reality faced by today's young people, is also worth noting. Naesoong Girl, wearing a Samsung employee badge and riding a golden ox while gazing far ahead, shows an expression of resolve and sorrow at once. Alongside this, movie tickets and popcorn fluttering in the air, a baby bottle, and carved wooden mandarin ducks convey the reality of the sampo generation — those who have given up on dating, marriage, and childbirth.

This exhibition presents some 70 of Kim Hyun Jung's works, divided across four sections: 'Naesoong Parade,' 'Naesoong Adventure,' 'Naesoong Island,' and 'Naesoong Ride.' Various events also take place throughout the venue. Across four floors from the basement to the third floor, each section stamps a ticket, and visitors who collect all four stamps receive a calendar. There is also a claw machine event where visitors can win prizes such as postcards, catalogues, or essay collections.

Han Hui-jin, Chief Planner at Kim Hyun Jung Art Creative Center, who oversees the planning and operation of the Naesoong Amusement Park exhibition, said, "Kim Hyun Jung's motto is to help make the art world a smoother-functioning market," adding, "I hope visitors will find joy through the Naesoong Amusement Park exhibition and, further, develop a broader interest in art exhibitions in general." The exhibition runs through April 11.

Reporter Kim Dong-min, crooner.kim@gmail.com

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Written by — Reporter Kim Dong-min