Oh! Creator | The Story of Korean Painter Kim Hyun Jung — The Naesoong Series (2)

The Third Story of Korean Painter 'Kim Hyun Jung'

"I only express what I have personally experienced and felt"

▲ See the previous installment first

Q (Let's continue with questions about Naesoong Girl's "fashion" — materials and expression.) I'm curious why you render the hanbok jeogori not through coloring but through "hanji collage."

I chose hanji because I wanted a translucent, see-through material suited to ink-wash coloring. It may be easier to understand if you compare it to silk or fabric. In that sense, hanji is a very suitable material for bringing out a see-through technique. Using the collage technique to attach hanji to the painting brings out the distinctive feel of the hanbok jeogori while also adding tension to what could otherwise be a monotonous composition. The hanji collage itself is also an interesting and enjoyable process, almost like the finishing touch of the work.

Q My eyes keep being drawn to the revealing skirt beneath the Naesoong Girl. It seems there was something you wanted to say through the figure's nudity?

There's an important meaning in showing the essence of a figure hidden beneath clothing worn to dress oneself up. By rendering the curtain-like hanbok semi-transparently, I'm essentially looking through it into the figure's interior — the barely-visible silhouette symbolizes the possibility of approaching the figure's essence. Depending on how you look at it, it can highlight a sexual aspect, but what I wanted to convey was "an interior different from the exterior" and "an approach to essence."

Q Doesn't using more diverse expression techniques — installation, photography, video — mean needing more materials and a longer production period? It seems like it wouldn't be easy each time.

The Naesoong Series basically uses traditional Korean painting techniques, but I also approach it with diverse materials such as media art, 3D printing, and FRP. I stick to this approach because it suits the direction and feeling I want to convey through my work.

Q There are really so many types of hanji. Do you have a particular preference?

In Oriental painting, people commonly use "sunji" and "jangji," as well as "hwaseonji," which originated in China. Traditional sunji hanji has long fibers and is tough, while jangji refers to sunji laminated in multiple layers. Among sunji, I use the thinnest type, called "anpi." Because the paper is thin and light, the ink settles quickly and naturally, and using a fine brush allows for clearer, more delicate expression.

Q I heard you even learned the craft of making hanji yourself.

I didn't originally intend to make it myself. It was hard to find hanji in exactly the color and thickness I wanted, so depending on the situation I sometimes buy ready-made paper and sometimes make my own. There was a hanji I liked that suddenly became unavailable. There was exactly one craftsman in Korea who could make that paper, and due to personal circumstances, he was no longer able to make it. Realizing that this kind of culture could suddenly disappear felt absurd and sad, so I thought I should learn the craft myself, even if it meant being the one to carry it on.

Q How long does it usually take to complete a piece?

From composing the work to completion, I go through many stages over a long period. It varies by piece, but on average, one painting takes about two to six months.

Q Is all of the work done by hand?

Actually, surprisingly, a lot of it involves computer work. Many people wonder, "Why would Korean painting need a computer?" but beyond the original painting, digital output is ultimately needed, so I use it appropriately. When setting composition, I mainly do digital photo work, and I also simulate color matching in advance. After the concept is set, the actual painting is done entirely in the traditional way, and a lot of computer work happens at the digitization stage.

Q It doesn't seem like something you could do alone. Do you have assistants?

For things like photography, which isn't my specialty and is hard to do alone, I get help from the researchers I work with. Backing (mounting) is entrusted to one specialist for all works, and materials are purchased or made as needed. The rest of the painting process I do alone. Since there's a lot of know-how I've built up and developed over a long time, it isn't easy to teach and share that work either.

Q Is there a point you consider most important in your work?

The first is "communication." An artist is a professional who captures phenomena or ideas that are difficult to express precisely, and through sensitive perception and training, can tangibly express people's thoughts and emotions on their behalf. Ultimately, what matters is doing work that can indirectly resolve people's desire for expression through communication. This effort also has the aspect of helping the artist personally objectify themselves and feel less alone.

Next is "completeness." This includes not only the visual completeness of the work but also the completeness of the content being conveyed. When an idea comes to me, I note it down and reconsider it many times, because being too greedy with an idea makes a painting cluttered. Since there's no fixed endpoint to a piece of work, it changes according to how much ambition and diligence you put into it. This is also for the sake of satisfaction and confidence in the work.

Q Was there a particularly difficult scene, or a part you pay special attention to when painting?

I'm told horses are among the trickier animals to draw. I remember practicing enormously while painting a piece featuring a horse for a collaboration project. Also, delicate parts like hair require holding your breath with every brushstroke, so they demand a lot of training. Overall, small details or props that hardly stand out can take a surprisingly long time to paint. (Q: At first I thought the horse painting was a composited photograph.) I sometimes feel quietly proud myself when something I've drawn looks like a photograph. (laughs)

Q Quite a bit of time has passed since you started the Naesoong Series. You said it captures your own likeness — has anything changed compared to the beginning?

A lot has changed. Early works had relatively subtle coloring, while later works show bigger movement and more varied colors. A recent piece like 'Naesoong Amusement Park' has a much more vivid feel. Since it's a self-portrait, when my weight goes up or down, the Naesoong Girl's face and body go up and down along with it. Of course there's some dramatization and editing involved, but since the Naesoong Series is essentially my own history, I feel I grow more attached to it over time.

Q If the artist gets a boyfriend, will new characters appear in the Naesoong Series? Further down the line, might we meet a middle-aged Naesoong Girl and a Naesoong baby?

When I get this question, I used to joke that "I still haven't found a male body I want to draw," but I do get a lot of requests to depict men's "naesoong" too. Since my principle is to express only what I personally feel, it's a subject I'd like to try once I have more experience and a broader perspective that lets me capture men's naesoong as well. If I get married and have a child, perhaps the Naesoong Girl will be pushing a stroller in a future work? I hope there's a pretty baby riding in it!

Planning | Design Press Editorial Team

Reporting and writing: Design Press Editor Moon Han-a

Photography: Kim Jan-deu (516 studio)

Materials provided by: Kim Hyun Jung Art Creative Center

Design Press selects one creator each week for the series 'Naver Design — Oh! Creator.'

Meet a variety of design stories from noteworthy contemporary designers and artists, every day at Naver Design :-D

Oh! Creator — Korean Painter Kim Hyun Jung

1. A Profile in Keywords

2. Kim Hyun Jung's Naesoong Series (1)

☞ 3. Kim Hyun Jung's Naesoong Series (2)

4. Surviving as an Artist

5. Kim Hyun Jung's 'Likes' (Daily Life and Tastes)

Written by — Moon Han-a (Design Press Editor; Photo: Kim Jan-dui)