The artist's studio.

“I hope that my artworks resonate harmoniously with the serenity, purity, and clarity of nature." - Minjung Kim, 2023

Exploring the interconnectedness of Eastern and Western art practices, Kim’s ink paintings often incorporate elements of cutting, burning and gluing the paper. These creative acts imbue her works with spatial and temporal dimensions, infusing her works with a dual sense of continuity and gradual change.

Kim's early artistic education in Korea honed her understanding and mastery of traditional techniques such as calligraphy and brush painting; in her early adulthood, her curiosity led her to study Western art while living in Italy, developing a particular fascination with European and American abstract painters of the twentieth century, including Lucio Fontana, Alberto Burri, Paul Klee and Franz Kline. In her contemporary practice, Kim synthesises elements of the Eastern and Western traditions, giving life to ink paintings that seem to pulsate with a delicate balance of formal and process-based qualities.

Timeless (2019) began its life as an example of one of Kim's most celebrated series, a Mountain painting composed of various gradients of ink carefully applied to Hanji paper. To make the present work, the artist cut the painting into slender strips, burnt and then layered them, always preserving the original gradient. The result is a pulsating field of colour, that exemplifies Kim's meticulous process of painting, burning and layering mulberry Hanji paper. This artwork, with its rhythmic and overlapping strips of paper, shows the artist’s constantly evolving investigations into the balance of process and formal qualities, while offering a meditative harmony that encourages us to lose ourselves in the infinity that it promises.

Renowned for her ethereal ink paintings and intricate compositions on layered paper, Minjung Kim (b. 1962) is a contemporary Korean artist celebrated for her mastery of transparency and subtle formal expressions. Committed to reinterpreting traditional Korean aesthetics, Kim imbues each artwork with a process-based organization of her thoughts, problems, and whims. Through the repetitive technique of burning and layering mulberry Hanji paper, she conveys a profound narrative of emotional healing and meditation, punctuated by vibrant colors and dynamic strokes.

Born in 1962 in Gwangju, Republic of Korea, Kim's artistic journey began under the guidance of esteemed watercolorist Yeongyun Kang and a thorough study of Oriental calligraphy. This formative exploration not only enriched her understanding of Asiatic speculative tradition but also honed her ability to communicate through controlled brushwork, channeling energy onto the canvas with precision.

Enrolling at Hongik University in Seoul in 1980, Kim expanded her artistic horizons through a detailed study of Oriental painting, culminating in a Master’s degree focused on the essentials of ink painting materials. Intrigued by Italian art and its Renaissance heritage, she ventured to Milan, graduating from the Brera Academy of Fine Art in 1991. Here, Kim delved into the works of Western artists who explored Oriental painting, leading her towards a new aesthetic direction characterized by expressive marks and textures.

Kim's artistic exploration extends beyond academic realms, with her works often executed on the floor in alignment with Oriental tradition. Since 1998, she has incorporated burnt sections of layered paper into her compositions, creating a mesmerizing three-dimensional effect that symbolizes the passage of time. Her works emanate a profound sense of interconnectedness, inviting viewers to contemplate life's mysteries and beauty.

Kim's global presence is marked by exhibitions at prestigious museums and galleries worldwide, including the Princeton University Art Museum in New Jersey, USA (2020); Langen Foundation in Neuss, Germany (2019); and the Gwangju Museum of Art in Gwangju, Korea (2018), Musée des Arts Asiatiques, Nice, France (2017); Hermès Foundation, Singapore (2017); OCI Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea (2015); Palazzo Caboto, Venice, Italy (2015); Oko, New York, USA (2014); Studio d'Arte Raffaelli, Trento, Italy (2014); MACRO (Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Roma), Rome, Italy (2012); the Henry Moore Institute, Leeds, UK (2008); Guanshanyue Art Museum, Shenzhen, China (2007); Fondazione Palazzo Bricherasio, Turin, Italy (2006); and Museo Comunale d’Arte Moderna Ascona, Ascona, Switzerland (2003). She participated in the Gwangju Biennale (2018, 2004).

Her work is represented in numerous international public collections including the British Museum, London, UK; Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea; Musée des Arts Asiatiques, Nice, France; Fundación Helga de Alvear, Cáceres, Sapin; Swiss Re Art Collection, Zürich, Switzerland; Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, New York, USA; Asia Society Museum, New York, USA; Fondazione Palazzo Bricherasio, Turin, Italy; the Museum Sbygningen, Copenhagen, Denmark; OCI Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea; and UniCredit Art Collection, Milan, Italy.

Currently dividing her time between France and the United States, Kim continues to captivate audiences with her evocative creations, embodying a devotion to art that resonates deeply with life's complexities and beauty.