KDB LIFE | The Naked Naesung Blooming from the Tip of a Brush

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Editor/Picture Kim Hyun Jung

The Naked Naesung

Blooming

from the Tip

of a Brush

Kim Hyun Jung, a rising star of the Korean art world, held a solo exhibition themed "Naesung Olympics" this past April. Having gained fame for the singularity of Korean painting built around the subject of pretense, she has decided to introduce her work directly to readers who couldn't make it to the exhibition.

From Seeing Others to Seeing Myself

Back in art high school, encountering the painter Kim Hong-do's work interpreted in Oh Ju-seok's book Lectures on the Beauty of Korea completed the painting I make today — it's no exaggeration to say so. The excitement I felt reading that book is still vivid to me. Ink wash has a captivating quality: no matter how many layers you apply, the surface never grows murky or thick — layering can instead give a sense of transparency, and let you bring out the subtle charm of light and dark tones. What turned that charm into something wholly my own was bringing in "naesoong." This project began from the perspective of another person's appearance, but one day I realized the caricatured figure in the paintings was me. From that point, I began painting confessional self-portraits, oriented toward a state of freedom that departs from "the gaze" and "convention."

Narcissus

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The Naesung series took its first step with this piece. Back then, as a college student, I went through nearly ten sheets of paper to complete this single painting. Getting the line of the skirt, the bleeding of the ink, even the face, just the way I wanted them, was no easy task, so I redid it many times over. Because of that, this piece holds special meaning for me, and I still haven't sold it.

I Need You

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The semi-transparent skirt rendered in ink tone takes up a large share of my working theme. First I paint the figure nude, then collage hanji over it so the figure's interior is visible — a technique meant to show that "I can see right through you." The collage maximizes the see-through effect while also capturing the rustling texture of hanbok fabric (especially the jeogori).

A Meeting Disguised as Coincidence

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Personally, I've always loved hanbok and enjoyed wearing it. I became interested in hanbok as I started painting Korean painting, but loving its lines, colors, patterns, and vivid accessories feels like an inborn taste of mine. I love hanbok, but the reason I've used it as a main motif in my work is that I focused on the formality and dignity hanbok symbolizes. Showing figures in hanbok striking very relaxed poses, doing everyday, habitual actions, creates a stark contrast — and through that, I wanted to convey a metaphor for the mismatch between exterior and interior, while also presenting the sense of freedom that comes from departing from convention.

Naive Lady

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Like a child imitating adults, Naive Lady tries to strike a pose in imitation of professional players. As I adjust my form with passion, will, and effort, I find myself hoping — maybe I too will grow into a pro. Naive Lady is both my current self-portrait and the piece I'd most like to call my representative work of this year.

The solo exhibition I'm planning for this year (2015) is titled Naesung Amusement Park, the sixth exhibition in the Naesung series. Its theme is the space of liberation each person finds through their own hobbies and play. This exhibition will be especially different — rather than simply a place to view art, it will be designed as an amusement park where the viewer can genuinely immerse themselves in the hobby of art appreciation itself. I'm planning a participatory amusement park, complete with events and interactive spaces, where visitors can experience painting and sculpture alongside the artist and leave with meaningful memories made with their children. My methods of expression are also evolving. While maintaining my ongoing Korean-painting practice, I'm expressing it through new materials — bringing naesoong closer to our daily lives through video, 3D printing, and sculpture. I believe that expressing it through diverse media will be enjoyable both for me as the artist and more approachable for viewers. Going forward, I hope that through a range of collaborations, art can draw closer to daily life and become something widely used and universally enjoyed.

Profile

Kim Hyun Jung, Pop artist

She majored in Oriental Painting at the Seoul National University graduate school. The Naesung series has sold out completely across six exhibitions, confirming its popularity with the public. Named in 2014 to Dong-A Ilbo's "100 People Who Will Shine Korea in 10 Years," she is known, as an artist in her twenties, as the idol and enfant terrible of the Korean art world.