Seoul Guarantee Magazine | The Day We Met the Idol of Korean Painting

Artist Kim Hyun Jung

Born 1988. After graduating from Seoul National University's Department of Oriental Painting, she earned a master's degree in Oriental Painting from the same graduate school and is currently pursuing her doctorate. In an art world that values seniority and experience, she is leading the popularization of Korean painting through groundbreaking work.

In early summer 2014, a renowned gallery in Insadong set a new record for daily visitor numbers through a single exhibition. The reason was the curiosity sparked by the figure of a woman with a slender face, wearing hanbok, in the exhibited works. This meeting began with curiosity about what kind of person had painted the piece. Together with Ahn Sun-yeop of the Gangnam branch and Ha Hee-jin of the Sinnonhyeon branch, we met artist Kim Hyun Jung, known as the idol of Korean painting.

Written by the Editorial Team

The "Naesoong Story" That Began with a Search for Identity

The studio was filled with Kim Hyun Jung's works. As the two employees enjoyed the paintings over warm tea, artist Kim Hyun Jung, who had painted them, appeared in the studio.

Despite her pretty appearance, she greeted Ahn Sun-yeop and Ha Hee-jin with a spirited, confident voice, saying, "Hello." As soon as she sat down, she showed her curiosity, asking, "What kind of work does Seoul Guarantee do?" As Ahn, who had come to interview her, and Ha found themselves being interviewed instead (?), the mood loosened with laughter. Truly the mark of an interview veteran.

Ahn Sun-yeop, who had encountered Kim Hyun Jung's story through a famous lecture program before starting her career, expressed both surprise and delight, saying, "I watched your lecture four years ago, before I got a job. I never expected we'd meet like this." Ha Hee-jin shared that she had looked at the artist's blog before this meeting and found the works so fun, then asked how the Naesoong Series theme came about.

"I've been doing art since I was eight, and I always wanted to paint pictures that carried my own colors. Thinking deeply about 'what kind of person am I,' I realized I was ultimately a person trapped by other people's gaze — 'someone sensitive to the gaze.' So I wanted to find my faded sense of self. That's when I started to think about the issue of gaze and convention. Rather than naming it something as heavy as 'gaze,' I began to express it as 'Naesoong,' painting playful and witty pictures. In the end, Naesoong is also a kind of adorable lie told out of self-consciousness — wanting to be seen well by others. I wanted to show that kind of thing in my work."

"Among my works, the one where a figure is eating ramyeon is a piece called 'Acha (我差).' Luxury bags, a tumbler, and instant ramyeon. I expressed irony by depicting these three items together on one canvas. While aspiring to foreign goods and objects, what she ends up eating is instant ramyeon. This is 'structured Naesoong.' The value given by others' gaze is highly reflected there."

Kim said she wanted to express the Naesoong that shows through by depicting the figure's body nude beneath the voluminous hanbok skirt. The full skirt, she said, is a secretive and imaginative space, like a universe of its own. She tried to use ink there to express both the boundlessness of the painting and the essential meaning of Naesoong.

Not just the skirt, but the hanbok jeogori (jacket) too — she strove to capture the distinctive feel of hanbok using the hanji collage technique.

"One of the things I paid close attention to while making my works was the hanbok jeogori. For the jeogori, I do a collage with hanji, and if I can't find a hanji color I like, I sometimes dye the hanji myself. I tried to express the rustling texture." Kim's works maintain traditional techniques and materials while their details are thoroughly contemporary. Because you can feel both Eastern and Western beauty at once, they're popular with people of all ages and genders.

Intense and Diligent

When Ahn asked why she double-majored in business administration alongside Oriental painting at Seoul National University, Kim answered, "It was a difficult and intense time." She said that when the opportunity for a double major came up, unlike classmates who chose a related field, she wanted to study something entirely new. "As art majors, we sometimes face a subtle, unspoken disregard, so I looked at which departments were considered top at our school — turned out to be medicine, law, and business. Since double majors weren't possible with medicine or law, I naturally ended up double-majoring in business. While others studied 4 hours, I studied more than 40 hours, really working hard to keep up. Thanks to that, I was able to graduate 2nd in the entire College of Fine Arts, including double majors. Looking back, everything ends up being useful somehow. I had studied a lot of corporate case studies, which turned out to help a lot when collaborating with companies. It was also a great help in running the Kim Hyun Jung Art Center and in understanding the structure of the art market."

Currently juggling production, exhibitions, teaching, and lectures with more than enough on her plate, Kim Hyun Jung says lecturing and teaching actually give her more than they take, so she tries to keep doing them consistently.

Ha, curious "why communication has become such an important part of Kim Hyun Jung's work," heard from Kim that she believes "communication" is important for an artist personally in order to keep doing creative work consistently and creatively. She wants to remind the public that art isn't difficult and is actually an enjoyable field. In that sense, she said, SNS (Social Network Service) is an effective channel for promoting her work and communicating with the public.

Planning to Keep Sharing the Charm and Beauty of Korean Painting

Selected for Forbes Asia's "30 Under 30" in 2017 and Dong-A Ilbo's "100 People Who Will Shine Korea in 10 Years" in 2014, she has been drawing attention from a wide range of media and press. Ahn's meticulous question — "I saw in an interview from three or four years ago that you said you felt burdened facing the press. I'm curious whether you're careful during interviews, and whether, now that time has passed and you're in your thirties, that burden and worry still come up" — drew a smile from Kim, who said, "You could be a guest reporter." "I vividly remember my first interview in my twenties. I had to be careful with every word because I needed to be considerate with what I said. That's still the same now. I've even expressed that in my work. Since I communicate actively and meet with the public, I believe responsibility follows every word and action of mine."

Kim, who communicates with the public through her love for art and painting, says she feels it's a shame that art, compared to music, isn't as broadly enjoyed by the public. "No matter what shop you go into, or even in passing moments, people easily encounter and enjoy music as it is. I wish art could be enjoyed the same way, just as it is, but the reality is that it isn't, and that's a bit disheartening. So I want to show, through my work, that Korean painting isn't difficult and is actually fun." Kim added that she wants to continue making works grounded in "empathy" that scratch the itch many people feel.

Kim's sharp wit and pleasant conversation kept the two employees laughing throughout the interview.

Kim handed them a 2018 calendar she had recently made, and even gifted them an instant photo as a thoughtful touch. Her lovely consideration for everyone she meets stood out. Kim Hyun Jung, who has received much love from a young age — it was a time that made us even more curious about the playful works she will create next, and about the endless possibilities she holds.