HIM Magazine | A Witty Expression Aimed at a Society Full of Pretense! Pop Korean Painter Kim Hyun Jung

A woman dressed in hanbok with headphones on her head; another, also in hanbok, wearing the kind of sun visor older women wear, exercising in a park. We met painter Kim Hyun Jung, who presents work that slyly hits the mark against the rigid social atmosphere insisting "women should be demure." Having set a record of selling out every single work on display, what message does she want to convey through her Naesoong series?

■ A Star Artist Whose Every Release Is a Runaway Success

Kim Hyun Jung, the Korean painter called "the idol of Korean painting," breathed new life into what had been a quiet Korean art scene. Her 2013 exhibition "Naesoong Story" at the Seoul Arts Center set an unprecedented record, selling out every piece on display and creating a sensation.

"It was completely unexpected. Contrary to the surrounding opinions that the work 'lacked artistry' or 'seemed too ordinary,' the people who bought the pieces found it fun, saying, 'Oh my, that's exactly what I'm like!' They were also apparently struck by an expressive approach that broke the prejudice that 'Korean painting is difficult.' I want to make work the public can enjoy without any burden, and it felt like I was getting closer to that dream — I was overjoyed and grateful."

She added that she also takes pride in the fact that Korean painting itself — a genre gradually losing its footing — is becoming known to the public through her. There are many reasons Korean painting is unwelcome, whether in society or at universities — it's seen as less commercially viable, less flashy — so was there a special reason she majored in a field that, by anyone's estimate, promised a hard road, setting aside so-called money-making genres?

Artist Kim answered, "Near the end of my first year of high school, I encountered ink painting for the first time and felt a charm completely different from Western painting. In ink painting, a single stroke can be important enough to determine the fate of the entire work. It demands intense concentration and delicacy, and when you succeed in rendering an extremely difficult stroke, it feels as exhilarating as climbing a great mountain. That sense of accomplishment I feel each time is one of the charms of Korean painting."

And around that time, reading Oh Ju-seok's Lectures on the Beauty of Korea sealed her decision to major in Korean painting. Encountering the wit, keen observation, and vivid brushwork in Kim Hong-do's works "Dancing Boy" and "Ssireum," introduced in the book, she wanted to emulate them. For a high schooler thoroughly captivated by the charm of Korean painting, majoring in it in college was simply the natural next step.

■ The Naesoong Series, Born in an Unprecedented Way

Even work you love needs to be considered realistically at some point. And isn't Korea a country that's too harsh for artists to make a living in? She grew skeptical about why artists who have moved people around the world for decades and centuries so often live in poverty. Seeking an answer, Kim Hyun Jung double-majored in business administration, studying the art market and the flow of the world. To get more practical advice, she sought out a senior who was active as a painter, and eventually found her answer — in the question that senior posed: "Have you ever painted like an office worker?"

She realized she'd been someone who, as a painter, wasn't putting in the effort — someone stuck asking "Why is the artist always hungry?" instead of clocking into the studio at a set time and working overtime when she hadn't met her goal for the day. "People often say 'artists go hungry.' I too, while studying art, wondered why artists are so often poor. Of course I understand that phrase doesn't only mean physical hunger, but I needed to think about it realistically. So I went to a senior who was active as a painter and poured out my worries. She asked me, 'Have you ever painted like an office worker?'"

In that moment, Kim Hyun Jung looked back at herself. An office worker who commutes at a set time rain or shine, finishes the day's work, and clocks out. It became an occasion to reconsider, once again, the mindset she should bring to her work as a painter.

"I researched the cases of world-renowned, highly esteemed artists. I double-majored in Oriental painting and business administration in college, so I applied the 'case study' method I learned in business. There's a perception that artists are idle, but as it turns out, many were surprisingly prolific, with more than 5,000 works to their name. Picasso in particular, I learned, completed a work roughly every 2.2 days on average. Meanwhile I, a graduate student, was only completing about 5 works a year."

It's hard for any artist to make every single piece a masterpiece. But could working hard, tirelessly, bring you closer to that? From that point on, Kim Hyun Jung began "commuting" to her studio like an office worker, throwing herself into her work. Painting roughly 40 pieces fiercely over one year, she held her solo exhibition "Naesoong Olympics" at Gana Art Center in Insa-dong in June 2014. "Naesoong Olympics" surpassed the "Park Soo-keun Special Exhibition" to set a new single-day visitor record, sending a ripple through the Korean art world.

■ The Naesoong and Provocation Painted by a Young Artist

Now let's talk about the work itself. The women in her paintings are all dressed in lovely hanbok. And yet their behavior is thoroughly suspicious. While wearing hanbok, they crouch down eating ramen, or race along on a bicycle. They lift weights, ride skateboards, bowl. Wearing hanbok, which exudes such elegant dignity, one would expect them to be even more demure and careful than usual — so why these provocative, cheeky actions? This connects to the theme of "naesoong" that she has long grappled with.

"When I first conceived Naesoong Story, it began with a desire to satirize people who put on airs, who are different inside than out. I'd been hurt many times by such people, and there was also a wish to heal myself by painting them. Then one day, looking in the mirror in my studio, I realized the figure in the work was exactly me! Not just in appearance, but in essence — the inability to confidently reveal myself, being conscious of others' gaze, showing an awkward, uncertain state — I realized it resembled me far too closely. From that point I began painting something like a confessional self-portrait. I think of my work as writing a diary while looking in a mirror. Honestly, looking straight into a mirror isn't easy — seeing yourself objectively is uncomfortable. Through this process, naesoong has now become a subject of psychological and philosophical analysis for me."

Kim Hyun Jung works by first painting the figure nude, then collaging over it. She devised a unique process for this. First, she becomes the protagonist of the scene, wearing leggings and photographing herself so the lines of her body show. Then she photographs the same scene again wearing hanbok, and paints from that.

"Hanbok is expressed through ink-and-color painting and hanji collage technique. Making it translucent is meant to carry the meaning of 'you can see right through' — it's meant to guide the viewer's insight into naesoong. To do the hanji collage work, I learned papermaking technique from a hanji master craftsman and dyeing technique from a dyeing master, and now I make and dye the hanji myself. I make my own paste for the work too, and I'm particular about choosing pigment materials. When it comes to the actual process of working, my mindset is 'there is no compromise.'"

I Want to Make Art That Breathes with the Public

Asked to name a work that comes to mind with "red," Kim Hyun Jung chose "Naive Lady," a representative piece from the Naesoong Olympics series. "Naive Lady" depicts billiards, one of the "events" of Naesoong Olympics — a woman in hanbok holding a cue, just about to strike the ball.

"The figure in the painting is trying to break the tidy order by striking the white ball — bang! The moment the ball is struck, the existing order represented by convention shatters, and a new game begins. I think that free, provocative moment matches the image of red best."

For the photo shoot, Kim Hyun Jung stood in front of "Naive Lady." Dressed in lovely hanbok, her eyes sparkling with confidence, she overlaps with the image of "Naive Lady" in the painting. Hasn't she, too, struck a provocative ball into what had been a quiet Korean art world, starting a new game?

"I hope art can become something anyone can enjoy and partake in. I want to contribute to building a culture and structure where art can seep into daily life. Many people think of social media as just a promotional tool, but for me, it's part of my actual work. I think contemporary art encompasses everything from the inspiration behind a work to the stage of its interpretation. In fact, when I 'read' my work on social media, many people leave inspiration for my next piece or other interpretations. Beyond that, I'd like to open up a genre called social drawing. Social drawing uses social networks so the public and the artist can discuss a single drawing together and go on to complete a piece together. It could be an extension of participatory art, and it could also give everyone the experience of feeling they own a single work."

Kim Hyun Jung is currently working on the "Naesoong Amusement Park" series. "Amusement park" tends to evoke a space mainly for children running around, but she intends to capture a space of everyday play — a space of liberation — just for adults. What will this amusement park just for adults, woven from Kim Hyun Jung's clever ideas and singular imagination, look like? On the day she opens "Naesoong Amusement Park," won't visitors find themselves walking to the exhibition with as light a step as heading out on a picnic?

Written by — Text: Kim Hyeon-gyeong (Freelance) | Photo: Cho Sang-cheol (Photo Director)