Hyunjung Kim

HyunJung Kim(金賢靜) is a Korean artist whose work bridges traditional East Asian painting and contemporary psychological introspection.


Originally trained as an actress, she transitioned into painting through a deeply personal healing process.

Her recurring motifs—Lala, a doll representing the inner child, and the dragonfly, a symbol of memory—serve as mirrors of the self and as vehicles for emotional transformation.

Her painting technique merges the delicacy of gongbi (fine brushwork) with bold color fields and unconventional composition, reminiscent of Qi Baishi and Li Keran.

Kim incorporates embroidery directly into her silk paintings, creating a unique method she calls “painting-led, embroidery-enhanced” (畫主繡補), pushing the boundaries of traditional mediums.

By combining symbolism, self-reflection, and performative role-play, her work forms a new kind of literati painting—21st-century xin wenrenhua—garnering attention from both art historians and contemporary collectors across Asia.

In 2014, Kim participated in a major three-artist exhibition at Today Art Museum in Beijing, where she exhibited alongside legendary media artist Nam June Paik.

In Korea, her works are part of both institutional and private collections, includ...

BA in English Language and Literature.
Trained in traditional painting, calligraphy, and connoisseurship under masters in China.

2024 Offering Painting of Clouds and Mist (Ozu Gallery, Tokyo)
2020 Wandering Insects (Ilbaekheon Gallery, Seoul)
2020 Six Lines of Flying Elegance (Ilbaekheon Gallery, Seoul)
2018 Small Happiness (Gallery Harang, Seoul)
2016 Gift (Gallery 1898, Seoul)
2016 No Gate in the Way of Calligraphy (Gallery Pilgrims for Peace, Center for National Reconciliation, Paju)
2016 No Gate in the Way of Calligraphy (Korean Cultural Center in China, Beijing)
2014 One Divides into Three: A Confucian Reflection (Today Art Museum, Beijing)
2014 Depiction and Acting (Gallery Art Link, Seoul)