Noblesse | Artist Interview_The Painter Who Knows Nothing but Naesoong, Kim Hyun Jung

The Artist Who Knows Nothing but Naesoong

Kim Hyun Jung

Kim Hyun Jung's (26) paintings are like a troublesome youngest daughter. A young lady in fine hanbok crouches on the floor, eating ramyeon out of a pot lid. She uses a straw as chopsticks to pick up French fries. She rides a scooter, hanbok skirt fluttering, and hangs off the back of a truck shouting "All clear!" Her thigh is plainly visible through her skirt, and she doesn't seem to mind at all. All of this is the artist's "Naesoong series." "My paintings originally started with the intent of satirizing people whose outside and inside differ. But one day, looking in the mirror, I discovered that same irony in myself. So now I honestly depict my everyday self in my paintings." Since the figure in her work is the artist herself, she draws inspiration from moment-to-moment scenes of daily life. For instance, the work "Fighting Spirit" depicts the moment she, having skipped meals while painting to the point of nearly collapsing, devours a hamburger like she's going to war; and "How Elegant" depicts her perched on a toilet, fiddling with her smartphone. Woven finely throughout her work is the confession of an ordinary woman in her twenties, who realized she couldn't escape the trap of naesoong, and instead ended up thinking about naesoong more than anyone.

Having sold all 13 pieces she exhibited at an art fair held at the Seoul Arts Center last summer within just two days — earning her the instant title of "sold-out queen" — she has recently been spending markedly more time at her studio. Because her works are life-size, completing even one takes at least a couple of months, so she paints for twelve hours a day before finally leaving her studio. "When I hear from collectors of my work, they say they like it because it's easy to understand. Unlike Korean painting up to now, they say it feels fresher because it's about everyday life. Come to think of it, my work directly reveals my own life and experiences, and it seems to receive more love when that turns out to be universal." She plans to continue the "Naesoong series" into the new year. She is currently preparing a piece tentatively titled "Naesoong Olympics," which emphasizes a more dynamic feel than her previous work, and is also considering a "social painting" project, using social networks to create a single work together with many people. But in her expression, as she says the attention still feels quite burdensome, there is no trace of naesoong to be found.

[Photo caption]

The white mesh cape with a pearl-detailed tiara and beadwork is all by Ree Hue Closet; the white gold earrings set with 28 diamonds are by Chaumet; the black hanbok dress with elaborate gold-foil detailing is by Park Sul-nyeo Hanbok.

[Profile]

2013 Selected as a "Future Artist" for the Perrier 150th Anniversary, "Artist Who Found Her Element"

2012 Won the Seoul National University Alumni Association President's Award

2011 Won the Grand Prize in the Korean Painting category at the 14th World Peace Art Grand Exhibition

[Reference: From a sidebox related to Kim Hyun Jung within the same special feature (2014 Rising Star 8), titled "We are so Thankful! Contributors"]

Kim Hyun Jung's older sister, Kim Hyun-ji

Kim Hyun-ji has always been three years ahead of Kim Hyun Jung. When Hyun-ji took up art, Hyun Jung followed three years later; when Hyun-ji took an interest in fashion, Hyun Jung began collecting clothes three years later. It was thanks to her older sister Hyun-ji that Kim Hyun Jung became an Oriental painter. Hyun Jung especially loved going to museums with her sister, and would always copy the paintings she saw there once home — and those copies eventually came together to form the "Naesoong series." Kim Hyun-ji, who currently works in New York as a gemologist and jewelry designer, will no doubt continue to be a source of inspiration for Kim Hyun Jung.

Written by — Kim I-sin, Ko Hyeon-gyeong, Lee Yeong-gyun (Editors)