[with IBK] | Playing at ‘Naesung’ Between Convention and Self

Between Convention and Self,

Playing at 'Naesung'

Korean painter

Kim Hyun Jung

Kim Hyun Jung, 'Naesung: Will You Marry Me?' Ink and light color with collage on hanji

As an aspiring painter, she never wanted to live out the image of the solemn, serious, yet perpetually starving 'artist.' But because she herself was also sensitive to other people's gaze and to convention, she agonized deeply between the persona of a painter and her true self. Korean painter Kim Hyun Jung, who wrestled with these questions throughout her adolescence, found reconciliation between convention and self through her own work, and achieved success while doing exactly what she wanted.

The Person I Want to Be & the Person Reflected in Someone Else's Gaze

She recalls that, rather than living the life she truly wanted, she was someone who chased only the image reflected in other people's 'gaze.' That 'gaze' was, to her, the yardstick of a successful life, and its weight was always heavy to bear. At some point, chasing only that 'gaze,' she felt the need to find her fading sense of self — and the work she made from that impulse was precisely the 'Naesung series.'

"One day, looking through the mirror in my studio, I suddenly realized that the person captured on the canvas looked exactly like me. This small experience became an important turning point for me. It wasn't just our appearance — even in essence, the figure in the painting and I were far too alike: both unable to confidently reveal our true selves, both showing an awkward, hesitant face because we were so conscious of others' eyes."

'Naesung' was her playful, relatable way of expressing the phenomenon of an individual yielding their sense of self to social convention — and it was both her own image and the image of ordinary people everywhere. Painting a self-portrait is, at once, an artistic act and an honest confession of reflection on life. In other words, what had once been work built on 'empathy' and 'caricature' began to transform into work built on 'confession.'

Tradition & Originality

Because traditional Korean painting was expected to be dignified, it could feel dull and predictable to some. Her work became a topic of conversation precisely because it was original, unlike existing Korean painting. Still, she notes that many Korean painters before her had already attempted bold departures, and that what she can truly call her own style is the hanji collage and the translucent nude technique.

"In the hanbok jeogori of my paintings — and, in more recent work, even in the skirt — I mix hanji paste and attach it directly onto the surface. It vividly conveys hanbok's distinctive crisp, rustling texture, while also injecting a departure from what could otherwise be a monotonous ink-wash painting."

Rather than earning income the traditional way a painter does — through selling artwork — she gives back to society the income she earns through new kinds of activity. Donating, which she began simply out of gratitude — "because I started this because it made me happy," "because I never expected to actually earn money from it" — became a new driving force for her. She donates goods and cash to the Gangnam and Cheongun children's homes, helps care for the children and nurture their dreams, and has even set up a scholarship at her alma mater to support the next generation.

"Of course, it's not a large amount. But I think it's important to do what I can, as much as I believe is right, so I try to help little by little."

Social Media as Teacher & Artwork as Child

To create genuinely contemporary work, Kim Hyun Jung needed to stay attentive to the times and hear audience reactions and opinions in real time. So she runs her own Facebook and blog, achieving a level of communication with her audience that would otherwise only be possible through exhibitions. Talking with her audience online, she has gained ideas she never would have thought of on her own. Social media has also incidentally played a role in helping art, as a culture, be enjoyed by the public the way music is.

As a result, her exposure on social media has grown to nearly 120,000, reaching more readers than most magazines. That's why she takes great care to avoid typos or errors in publication dates, and puts significant effort into editorial design and image quality.

"Social media is both the space that made me who I am today, and my teacher. When I was heading down the wrong path, it was social media that firmly told me 'no.' At first, that kind of reaction just hurt. But by taking it to heart and improving, I was able to get this far. I prepare for exhibitions the same way — thinking of it as inviting my teacher offline. If my work, carried for two to six months, is like a child I've given birth to, then these are the teachers who are strict with me while always cheering me on from behind."

Creator & Audience

She gives many lectures at companies, government agencies, and universities, and spreads her 'painting stories' through essay collections and newspaper columns.

"Going forward, I will keep reaching out to audiences through a variety of activities. So I hope all of you, too, will pay close attention to my work and the work of other painters — and if you happen to know an artist around you, please cheer them on and lend them your support."

"I hope many people won't think of art as something heavy. These days many people go on outings to art museums, but it's a shame that this tends to be limited to only the large, major museums."

Kim Hyun Jung is contributing her energy toward making art something that naturally permeates people's lives — a culture anyone can enjoy. She also shared her ambition to serve, going forward, as an 'ambassador for traditional culture,' someone who can explain, in popular terms, the traditional culture found in our art.

"Going forward, I will keep reaching out to audiences through a variety of activities. So I hope all of you, too, will pay close attention to my work and the work of other painters. And if you happen to know an artist around you, please cheer them on and lend them your support."

Dressed just as elegantly in hanbok as the figures in her own paintings, she represents a confident, contemporary woman. Her confidence is not a denial of tradition, nor does her glamorous appearance contradict her pride as a painter. The 'Naesung' she has shown us all this time is her own methodology — blending two things once thought to be opposites into harmony. IBK

Kim Hyun Jung, Korean painter

Born in Seoul, 1988.

Graduated from Seoul National University's Department of Oriental Painting and its graduate school.

Currently lectures at Yongin University, Kyung Hee University, and various corporations.

In January 2016, she was invited to hold a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

She is recognized for opening new horizons by fusing traditional Korean culture with the kitsch sensibility of pop art.

Written by Kang Na-eun, photographed by Jang Eun-ju