YTN | Kim Hyun Jung, the Artist Leading the Globalization of Korean Painting from Hallyu-wood
YTN's 'Hallyu-wood' segment introduced painter Kim Hyun Jung, who is leading the globalization of Korean painting through her 'Naesoong Story' series featuring women in hanbok. The report noted that she has held consecutive solo exhibitions overseas in New York, Berlin, and Shanghai, and was selected for Forbes Asia's '30 Under 30' list.
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A woman in elegant hanbok is playing billiards.
This time, with her hair in a traditional braid, she's doing sit-ups.
She even lifts a barbell while wearing headphones.
These are works titled 'Naesoong Olympics,' part of the so-called 'Naesoong Story' series.
The settings, which at first glance seem mismatched with the image of hanbok, create a distinctive and audacious feeling.
The artist behind these paintings is 28-year-old female Korean painter Kim Hyun Jung.
[Kim Hyun Jung / Korean Painter: To put it simply and directly, 'Naesoong Story' could be called a genre painting of the 21st century. Just as we look at Shin Yun-bok's paintings and think, 'Ah, that's how people bathed back then,' if you look at Kim Hyun Jung's paintings, you'll find a public bathhouse depicted. You could see it in that sort of way.]
Artist Kim Hyun Jung's work is, quite literally, a genre painting of the modern urban woman.
Paintings of a woman cooking ramyeon, or works featuring a fast-food delivery scooter, are representative of artist Kim Hyun Jung's world of work.
[Kim Hyun Jung / Korean Painter: I feel like it's exactly who I am. As I show each painting one by one, I find myself saying, 'I love ramyeon like this, I eat hamburgers well too, I really love jjajangmyeon too — I'm that kind of person.']
Artist Kim Hyun Jung uses traditional ink-wash coloring techniques together with a method of cutting and pasting dyed hanji (traditional Korean paper).
As a result, the lower body of her figures has a so-called 'see-through' feel that reveals the lines of the body, while the jeogori (upper garment) is emphasized with intensity and vibrancy.
Last year, she held consecutive solo exhibitions overseas, including in New York, USA; Berlin, Germany; and Shanghai, China.
Foreigners who knew little about Korea were nonetheless captivated by her playful, lively works.
Perhaps for this reason, artist Kim Hyun Jung recently made the US business magazine Forbes Asia's list of the 30 most influential people under 30 in Asia.
[Kim Hyun Jung / Korean Painter: Even people who don't know exactly what country Korea is quickly grasp, 'Ah, it's some Eastern country, and this is a traditional costume, and there's this contrast in the painting.']
Korean painter Kim Hyun Jung, breaking stereotypes about Korean painting by putting the playfulness distinctive of young women in their 20s front and center.
Her challenge toward the modernization and globalization of Korean painting shines brightly.
[Kim Hyun Jung / Korean Painter: I want to keep making honest paintings for myself. In terms of subject matter, I feel like it will be endless. If I have a child, I think scenes of childcare will make their way in, and just as we used to use flip phones but now use smartphones as technology advances, I find I can keep painting continuously, endlessly. Let's keep painting with the heart.]
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