Korea Central Daily (US) | Korean Painter Kim Hyun Jung’s First Solo Exhibition
The US Korea Central Daily interviewed Korean painter Kim Hyun Jung ahead of her first solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Kim introduced her painting style, which uses traditional Korean painting techniques to satirically capture the everyday life of contemporary women. She said she would present her first New York solo exhibition at the New York Korean Night event on January 9, 2016.
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"People usually assume Korean painters are older, but that's not always the case."
So says painter Kim Hyun Jung (26, pictured), who began painting Korean-style art because she loved all things Korean from a young age. While upholding the orthodox technique of ink painting on hanji, she satirically depicts contemporary women drinking Starbucks coffee and eating ramen — a style uniquely her own.
Kim will present her first New York solo exhibition on the 9th at 'This Is Our Future,' the New York Korean Night event hosted by the Korean American Immigration History Foundation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Manhattan. Visiting our office on the 7th to promote the event, Kim said, "Painting Korean art has turned me into quite a patriot. At the Metropolitan Museum, a hall of fame for artists, I want to show both the flavor of traditional Korean painting and that of the modern Korean woman at once." Proceeds from the event, supported by the New York Korean Association (under Chairman Kim Min-sun) and the Long Island Conservatory, will go toward funding the construction of a Korean immigration history museum.
Kim's Korean paintings read like her own diary. "This painting is exactly me," she said, pointing to a piece showing a woman in colorful hanbok with her hair neatly done up, hiking up her skirt to eat ramen noodles slurped straight from a pot set on a post office delivery box. "Through this contrasting composition, I wanted to challenge the biased way modern women are perceived," Kim said, revealing that the painting is also a self-portrait. Last year in Korea, Kim held a solo exhibition, 'Naesoong Olympics,' gathering dozens of such paintings.
"I want to become a Korean painter who moves beyond resonating with just one generation, to draw sympathy from people across the whole world," Kim said, asking for continued interest in her upcoming New York solo exhibition.
Reporter Lee Jo-eun