Girl Scouts Online | Meeting Kim Hyun Jung, the ‘Idol of Korean Painting’ and Former Girl Scout

Girl Scouts of Korea Official Blog (https://blog.naver.com/gsk6801gsk)

February 2019 Newsletter

Meeting Kim Hyun Jung, 'Idol of Korean Painting' and Former Girl Scout

(Left) An Installment-Plan Life / (Right) Wonder Woman Diary

#GreatGirlLeader

Korean painter Kim Hyun Jung, who has drawn great attention by sharply reading the complex, subtle emotions of young women and reinterpreting the realities of modern women through satire and humor.

Selected as one of Dong-A Ilbo's '100 People Who Will Shine Korea in 10 Years' in 2014, and named to Forbes' '30 Under 30 Asia' in 2017, Kim Hyun Jung has earned recognition both within the art world and beyond it — and the Girl Scouts sat down with her.

"Hello, I'm Kim Hyun Jung."

♣ We were glad to hear you were a Girl Scout! When were you active, and do you have a most memorable activity or fond memory?

I followed my sister, who was in 6th grade at the time, and threw myself into Girl Scout activities from 3rd grade. Among them, the program where we climbed Achasan with our families is the most memorable. Climbing the mountain with my parents and sister, we talked a lot — conversations we hadn't had time for given how busy my parents usually were — and I remember it being both a bit awkward and, in my young heart, incredibly exciting. At the summit, we gathered leaves and branches to make a family motto plaque.

There was also the joy of collecting patches to sew onto our sashes. We'd compete with friends to collect them ^^ I think I learned about challenging myself to try new things, and about courage. Among the Girl Scout programs there were activities by area, and each activity had a task (mission). Completing a task (clearing a mission) earned you a 'challenge badge' — gold, silver, or bronze. Collecting those badges was so much fun that I remember attempting the tasks in almost every area of activity. I still have the patches and badges I collected back then at home, and looking at them still brings back fond memories and a warm feeling.

Holding the sash and Girl Scout cup I wore as a child..^^

♣ Did your past Girl Scout experience influence or help you in any way in your current work as a Korean painting artist?

I think I learned a lot about a self-reliant, spirited model of womanhood through my Girl Scout activities. Even though I was young at the time, the very process of participating on equal footing with the Boy Scouts instilled in me, I think, a strong awareness of gender equality. And I think those ideas, sitting in the back of my mind, had a big influence on my being able to work as an independent, confident woman painter. In the art world too, male painters make up the mainstream, and I think my Girl Scout experience helped give me the confidence to establish myself and work actively as a woman painter among them.

Running to You

♣ Looking at your work, your distinctive personality really stands out. Where do you usually draw this creative thinking and inspiration from?

Since it's a self-portrait, I really do draw inspiration from moments of everyday life. For example, 'Fighting Spirit' took its material from the moment I was eating a hamburger combatively, having skipped meals and felt I might collapse while working. Even though I was hungry, since I was in the middle of painting, I depicted myself picking up fries with a straw so as not to get oil on my hands — inspiration and work proceed this way, from everyday life.

As I express everyday scenes, the situations and items are very contemporary, but I stick to traditional techniques and materials for expression — a fusion, so to speak, of Oriental and Western painting. I think my individuality is recognized not just in subject matter but also in this aspect of expressive technique. I often think that value shines brightest when the traditional and the contemporary, the Eastern and the Western, harmonize with one another, and I think such thoughts have led to this subject matter and mode of expression.

(Left) Trembling / (Right) I'm the Best

♣ I've heard you place importance on communication through social media. What does communication mean to you in your creative practice?

When people think 'painter,' don't the words 'hungry' and 'lonely' come to mind? Being a painter is a happy profession, but it's also an incredibly lonely and grueling one. Until I put my work out in front of people, I keep second-guessing myself over how my work will be received, feeling anxious, and the process of dedicating long hours to work is honestly grueling and difficult. So I need to find ways to overcome this anxiety and loneliness in order to keep working in a mentally healthy state.

For me, being active on social media was a way to keep working with a healthy mind. Communicating through social media let me relieve the anxiety and loneliness surrounding my work. These days, it's not just a way to sustain my work as a painter — I'm also trying to bring the connections between people through social media into the category of art itself. I think the energy contained in these human connections through social media is truly immense, and that such connections between people can themselves become part of art. In short, communication is both the driving force that keeps me working, and, I now think, an important subject or tool that can be part of what I consider art.

Work rendered in hanji collage and a distinctive brushstroke is drawing great attention.

♣ You have so many fans that you've earned the nickname 'idol of Korean painting' — what do you think is the decisive reason you draw public attention?

I think it's because I've tried to lower the threshold of art. An 'idol,' after all, usually refers to a popularly beloved star. To gain popular appeal, I think you need to approach many people in an easy, familiar way. My goal in my activities is to contribute to a world where anyone can enjoy art in daily life. To do that, my work needs to be familiar and easy first. Because I express the trends and everyday life of our times in an accessible way, anyone can immediately feel what I'm trying to express through my paintings. So I think many people, once they see my paintings, remember them easily and enjoy them comfortably. I think this is the biggest factor behind my work's popularity.

I plan to keep working toward the same goal going forward. Now that I'm past thirty, being called an 'idol' feels a little embarrassing. But if it's meant not merely in the sense of a young star-painter, but in the sense of a painter who approaches the public in a friendly, accessible way, then I'd like to keep being called the 'idol of Korean painting.'

"My goal in my activities is to contribute to a world where anyone can enjoy art in daily life."

♣ I'm curious about your future path. Are there any new challenges or plans you're taking on?

The power of Hallyu these days is truly remarkable. K-pop, K-drama, K-movies — Korean culture is becoming known to the world and enjoyed by many people globally. I often wonder, 'Korea is famous as a country of skilled hands, so why are there fewer world-class artists from Korea than you'd expect?' So I want to contribute to widening this Hallyu of art. I want to let the world know that not just me, but many Korean artists, are devoted to creating 'Korean painting' imbued with our country's unique sensibility.

I'm looking for various ways to appeal the distinctive charm of my work to the whole world. If I can go out into the world and show the charm of my paintings, I believe that ripple effect could reach other artists in our country too. I think that if this art Hallyu raises interest in Korean painting and broadens the base of the art market, more artists will be able to devote themselves to their art, and more people will get the chance to enjoy art. I ask for your anticipation and support for my future activities ^^

"I'm looking for various ways to appeal the distinctive charm of my work to the whole world."

♣ Do you have any words for teenage girls who are struggling with many worries?

I think I also went through a lot of worry during my own adolescence. Looking back now, I think it was a period when my emotional swings were huge. Even a small joy would make me incredibly happy, while even a small setback would make me feel like the world was collapsing. Looking back, those weren't things that warranted such huge emotional swings, and yet that's how it was. So I hope teenage girls will paint the bigger picture and look further ahead. Especially things that feel like the world is collapsing right now — later, looking back, you'll realize they were either not a big deal, or things you could handle after all. So rather than getting absorbed in your immediate worries, I'd like to say: calm your mind and look further ahead ^^

And I hope you'll think about when you're happiest doing something, and follow that. Hard times come to everyone, but if you hold onto a desperate love for something and keep at it steadily, you'll be able to overcome the hard times. Remember your dreams and your passion for your work until the end. I'm certain that as long as you have the passion to overcome each moment, a shining moment will come in each person's life.

Education

Ph.D. candidate, Department of Fine Arts, Seoul National University College of Fine Arts

M.F.A., Department of Oriental Painting, Seoul National University College of Fine Arts

B.F.A., Department of Oriental Painting, Seoul National University College of Fine Arts

B.A., Department of Business Administration, Seoul National University College of Business Administration

Graduated, Oriental Painting, Sunhwa Arts High School

Graduated, Sunhwa Arts Middle School

Major Exhibitions

Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York / The National Assembly / Seoul Metropolitan Council / Seoul Arts Center / Sejong Center for the Performing Arts / Dongil Cultural Center / National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Korea, and many others