Monthly Exhibition Guide | Artist Interview: An Emerging Artist and the Power of SNS, Kim Hyun Jung

The Power of SNS for an Emerging Artist

Artist Kim Hyun Jung

Kim Hyun Jung's 'Naesoong Olympics,' which channels the emotions and reflections that arise through everyday exercise into contemporary Korean-painting canvases, had already been previewing her work and building an open space for communication through social media.

Kim Hyun Jung's solo exhibition ran from June 19 to 30, 2014, at the Insa Art Center's 1st-floor main exhibition hall. From the moment visitors stepped through the entrance, footage of Kim Hyun Jung's television interviews and various videos captured their attention, and the flow of visitors never let up until closing time each day. The exhibition broke the previous record for most visitors to Insa Art Center — 2,600, set by the special exhibition of Park Soo-keun — when 3,461 people visited on June 21 alone, the highest single-day attendance since the center opened. This ripple effect stemmed directly from the sympathetic response of many netizens on social media.

Asked what first motivated her to start using social media, she said, "I wanted people who don't usually engage with art to enjoy the art I love comfortably, and as I thought about how to connect with the public, I began posting updates alongside my work. Netizens who shared my joy and connected with me gave me tremendous strength."

The theme of her exhibition, 'Naesoong Olympics' — which channels the emotions and reflections arising through everyday exercise into contemporary Korean-painting canvases — grew out of the dialogue with viewers she began the previous year with 'Naesoong Story.' Having already been previewing her work through social media and building an open space for communication, the artist held a 'Conversation with the Artist' program on Saturday, the 21st of the previous month, to deepen her connection with visitors through her solo show. The event was hosted by announcer Kim Seol-hui and featured opening remarks from Sun Seung-hye, Head of Curatorial Affairs at the Seoul Museum of Art, who wrote the exhibition's critical essay; Woo Jong-min, a leading figure in Korean psychiatry; and Park Sul-nyeo, the renowned hanbok master who has personally dressed leading figures of the Korean Wave in hanbok. The event also featured a collaboration with the artist Luna, blending fusion Korean traditional music with fusion Korean painting. The program also included an artist's autograph and photo session and a lucky-draw event for visitors, offering various delights to those who came to see the exhibition; prizes given out through the raffle included a 3D-printed piece from 'Naesoong Story,' framed prints of her work, exhibition catalogues, and products from her collaborations with LG Household & Health Care's Reenne shampoo and Glaceau Vitaminwater.

The More You Share, the Greater the Joy

Kim Hyun Jung also donates part of the profits earned outside her artwork. "If I decided that becoming rich and helping children were the same goal, my ambition would never end. So I decided to set my own standard from now on and donate to where it's needed," she said, and resolved to donate supplies such as formula, diapers, pizza, and hamburgers for children — settling on a nearby orphanage located next to her studio. Why not immerse yourself in her fresh, audacious 'Naesoong Olympics,' in which she paints her own self-portrait using ink-wash coloring techniques rarely seen in the work of young Korean painters, pasting hanji onto her nearly bare body to dress it in vivid, elaborate hanbok?

[Photo captions]

The artist explaining her work to visitors

Meeting the audience

Flat works and a 3D-printed piece

Remarks at the opening event (from left: Sun Seung-hye, Head of Curatorial Affairs; artist Kim Hyun Jung; hanbok master Park Sul-nyeo; announcer Kim Seol-hui; Professor Woo Jong-min of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital)

Art merchandise (phone cases)

Written by — Editor-in-Chief Lee Mun-ja