Hyunjung Kim

HyunJung Kim (金賢靜)

HyunJung Kim is a Korean artist whose work bridges traditional East Asian painting and contemporary psychological introspection. Originally trained as an actress, she brought her understanding of performance and role-play into her artistic practice, transforming personal healing through psychological counseling into a groundbreaking visual language.

Her recurring motifs—Lala (랄라), a doll representing the inner child, and the dragonfly, a symbol of memory and fleeting time—serve as mirrors of the self and vehicles for emotional transformation. Drawing on her theatrical background, Kim uses these characters to perform and explore multiple layers of identity on canvas, creating what art historian Peng Feng describes as "depiction and performance" merged into one.

Her technique merges the delicacy of gongbi (fine brushwork) with bold compositions reminiscent of Qi Baishi and Li Keran. Kim developed innovative methods including "ssangcheung" (double-layer painting on hanji and silk) and "hwaju-subo" (畫主繡補, painting-led, embroidery-enhanced), where she incorporates embroidery directly into silk paintings, pushing the boundaries of traditional mediums.

By combining symbolism, self-reflection, and performative role-p...

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

2025 一期一會 Ichigo Ichie (Ozu Gallery, Tokyo)
2024 煙雲供養 Offering Painting of Clouds and Mist (Ozu Gallery, Tokyo)
2020 喓喓草蟲 Song of Grass Insects (Ilbaekheon Gallery, Seoul)
2020 六鮮祕藝 Hexagonal Secret Arts (Ilbaekheon Gallery, Seoul)
2018 Small Happiness (Gallery Harang, Seoul)
2016 Gift (Gallery 1898, Seoul)
2016 書道無門 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 一分爲三 One Divides into Three: A Confucian Reflection (Today Art Museum, Beijing)
2014 Depiction and Acting (Gallery Art Link, Seoul)