Hyundai Powertech Family Magazine | A Young Artist Carrying Red Passion

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INTERVIEW

Text Cha Seung-jin · Photo Lee Seung-heon

A Young

Artist Carrying

Red Passion

Korean Painter Kim Hyun Jung

A young artist in her late twenties has sent ripples through Korea's art world. Her name is Kim Hyun Jung. Every woman in her paintings wears hanbok. And then they lift weights, crouch down to eat ramen, or sometimes ride a motorcycle delivering hamburgers.

Why She Became a Korean Painter

Kim Hyun Jung is a Korean painter. At her solo exhibition "Naesoong Olympics," held at Gana Art Center in Insa-dong this past June, she surpassed her own previous record for the gallery's highest single-day visitor count with 3,733 visitors, and drew roughly 24,000 visitors over the ten-day exhibition period, making headlines. Starting with her first solo exhibition in 2013, she has now held five solo exhibitions, every single one of which sold out completely. Now 28, having just finished graduate school, Kim Hyun Jung has already carved out a solid presence deep within the public consciousness. Grounded in the theory and technique of orthodox Oriental painting, yet known as "the idol" of the Korean art world for her creative, bold subject matter and mode of expression — why exactly did she become a Korean painter?

"From a young age, I was deeply moved by ink painting looking at the works of masters like Kim Hong-do and Shin Yun-bok. Growing up in a large extended family with many relatives, I also often saw the elders in hanbok at various family events and weddings. Even as a child, I felt that the lines, colors, patterns, and accessories of our hanbok were truly beautiful. And Sun Hwa Arts High School, where I graduated from, has students choose their major going from first to second year. I originally had an interest in design, but around my first year of high school, I felt a charm and joy in Oriental painting, particularly ink wash, and decided I should major in Oriental painting."

At the time, Kim Hyun Jung says she came to newly realize the charm of ink wash while reading Oh Ju-seok's book Lectures on the Beauty of Korea. Encountering the commentary on Kim Hong-do's works "Dancing Boy" and "Ssireum" introduced in the book, she was gradually drawn into the high level of achievement ink wash reached within Korean painting. Ink wash — no matter how many layers you apply, the surface never grows murky or thick, and layering can instead give a sense of transparency. The charm of ink wash, capable of subtly bringing out the nuance of light and dark tones, still draws her in today.

Have You Ever Painted Like an Office Worker?

At 9 a.m., Kim Hyun Jung once again "commuted" to her studio in Gaepo-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Of course, she isn't an office worker. There's no boss scolding her for being late, and no need to be bound to a schedule for attendance management. And yet, no matter how busy she is, even on days packed tight with outside appointments and meetings, she immerses herself in her work for a set amount of time every single 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 this worry. That senior 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 they work on 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" sent a great ripple through the Korean art world, setting a new single-day visitor record and surpassing the "Park Soo-keun Special Exhibition."

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 too. 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 'you can see right through' — 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 working process, 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 share readings of 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?