Minjung Kim
Minjung Kim
Light develops a strength when it brings colour to life. Minjung Kim shows us the illuminating powers of ink. These deep spaces elicit our wonder but, even more, the desire, the longing for a vast openness. But since we cannot fly, the desire remains chained in the observation. Of course, there are some places in the world, where one would love to stay forever, nurtured by light, indulging in the desire whilst being embedded in earth, longing to be immersed in it. The openness of Minjung Kim’s watercolour paintings is an acoustic space. The receding silhouettes of the hills are a melody. Each watercolour painting is similar and different. No need to imagine anything, everything is already there.
What tranquility, a descending, floating, airy quietness. And even though desire still torments us, the view into the distance fills us with peace. Minjung Kim resolves differences without eliminating contradictions. A paradox! That is what is striking about these paintings. We don’t just stand in front of those watercolour paintings, we perceive them as a reality, a world. We are part of this reality, this world. We are the viewer inside the painting. We look over our own shoulder, osmotically linked to the light, the vastness and the distance. On the other hand, our eyes view a watercolour painting, a piece of art, which keeps us at a distance, over which our gaze wanders and we take it for real. And in that moment we grow calm, like a jingling, a clinging, a fading chime, like an extension, that dissipates in the depth of space, as an extension of ourselves.
These enchanting shades of light, which allow everything, that does not disturb the mystical peace.
- Jean-Christophe Ammann, Curator
„I always keep in mind the importance of balance. You can call that yin and yang, as in traditional Asian philosophy, or simply an equilibrium of opposites.“
Minjung Kim
Minjung Kim, born 1962 in Korea, lives and works in France, Italy and in America.
EXHIBITIONS
2024“Minjung Kim”, Fondation Maeght, Saint Paul de Vence;
“France Regeneration”, Almine Rech, Paris;
“Repetición”, Galerie Nordenhake, Mexico City;
Munich Highlights, Galerie Commeter
2023“Minjung Kim”, Robilant+Voena Fine Art Gallery, St. Moritz;
“Burning Gravity”, – Minjung Kim, Sotheby's Monaco;
“Feeling of light”, Almine Rech, Brüssel;
“Soft and Weak Like Water”, Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju/ Soul;
“Over the Top”, Patrick Heide Contemporary Art, London
2022“Asia Now - Minjung Kim”, Almine Rech, Paris;
“Still Masters”, Patrick Heide Contemporary Art, London;
“Summer Love”, Songeun Art and Cultural Foundation, Seoul;
“Collection de dessins”, Galerie Catherine Issert, Saint Paul de Vence
2021“Timeless”, Galerie Commeter, Hamburg;
“Long Street of Timeless History of Phasing Grey Snow into Water”, Galerie Volker Diehl, Berlin;
“Timeless”, Gallery Hyundai, Seoul, Korea;
„Still Masters“, Patrick Heide Contemporary Art, London
2020„Bright days ahead“ – group show, Galerie Commeter;
HIGHLIGHTS Munich, Galerie Commeter;
POSITIONS Berlin Art Fair, Galerie Commeter;
art Karlsruhe, Galerie Commeter;
„ Minjung Kim“, Hill Art Foundation, New York, USA
2019“Pushing paper: contemporary drawing from 1970 to now”, British Museum, London, United Kingdom;
Cologne Fine Art & Design, Galerie Commeter;
POSITIONS Berlin Art Fair, Galerie Commeter;
art Karlsruhe, Galerie Commeter;
„Bright days ahead“ – group show, Galerie Commeter;
„Minjung Kim“, Langen Foundation, Neuss, Germany;
„Minjung Kim“, Galerie Catherine Issert;
„Minjung Kim“, Galería Cayón, Mahón, Menorca, Spain
2018„Making the Void, Filling the Void“, Gwangju Museum of Art, Gwangju, Korea
„Minjung Kim: Mountains“, Robilant+Voena Fine Art Gallery, St. Moritz, Switzerland;
„Memory of Process“, White Cube, London;
art Karlsruhe, Galerie Commeter
2017“Phasing”, Patrick Heide Contemporary Art, London;
Cendre & Lumière: Œuvres de Minjung Kim, Musee des Arts asiatiques, Conseil Départemental 06, Nice;
“Oneness”, Hermès Foundation, Singapore;
“Paper, Ink and Fire: After the Process”, Gallery Hyundai, Seoul, Korea
2016“Phasing”, Galerie Volker Diehl, Berlin;
Minjung Kim, Leslie Sacks Gallery, Santa Monica, Los Angeles
2015“Traces”, OCI Museum of Art, Seoul, Korea;
“The Light, The Shade, The Depth”, Luxembourg & Dayan, Palazzo Caboto, Venezia, Italy
2014Oko, New York, USA;
Minjung Kim: The Sound of Light, Galerie Commeter, Hamburg;
Studio d’Arte Raffaelli, Trento, Italy;
Luxembourg & Dayan, Artgèneve Salon d’Art, Genève;
2013Patrick Heide Contemporary, London
2012The Sound of Light, Museo arte contemporanea di Roma, Rome;
Leslie Sacks Gallery, Brentwood, Los Angeles;
Galleria Sahrai, Milan
2010Galleria Sant'Angelo, Biella, Italy
2009Galleria Valeria Bella Stampe, Milan;
Patrick Heide Contemporary, London;
Galleria Ermanno Tedeschi, Rome
2008Galleria Ermanno Tedeschi, Torino;
Robilant+Voena Fine Art Gallery, London;
Gallerie Mudimadrie, Antwerpen
2007Guanshanyue Art Museum, Shenzen, China;
Copenhagen Art Gallery, Denmark;
Leslie Sacks Fine Art, Brentwood, Los Angeles;
Patrick Heide Contemporary, London;
Giudecca795 Galleria d’Arte, Venezia
2006Montecarlo Art Gallery, Milan;
Fondazione Palazzo Bricherasio, Torino;
Galleria Valeria Bella Stampe, Milan
2004Arte92, Milano;
Ikos, Modena, Italy
2003Museo Comunale di Ascona, Ascona, Switzerland;
Leslie Sacks Gallery, Brentwood, Los Angeles;
Galerie Patrick Cramer, Genève
2002Galleria Recalcati, Torino;
Copenhagen Gallery, Denmark;
Galleria Cafiso, Milano, Italy
1999Wickeiser Gallery, New York;
Galerie Patrick Cramer, Genève, Switzerland (catalogue with a text of Roberto Borghi)
1998Galleria Cafiso, Milano, Italy (catalogue with texts of Luciano Caramel and Roberto Borghi)
1997Cappella di Villa Ruffolo, Ravello, Italy
1996Galleria Kontraste, Forte dei Marmi, Italy
1996Galleria Arte Borgogna, Milan, Italy
1991Injae Art Museum, Gwangju, Korea
1991Baik Song Gallery, Seoul, Korea
“History” 2024, mixed media on mulberry Hanji, 40 1/3 x 35 2/5 in, MK/M 118
“Zip” 2024, mixed media on mulberry Hanji, 15 x 19 2/3 in, MK/M 117
“Nuit de la mer” 2024, mixed media on mulberry Hanji, 7 8/9 x 9 6/7 in, MK/M 116
“Encounter” 2024, mixed media on mulberry Hanji, 55 1/10 x 39 1/3 in, MK/M 115
“Encounter” 2023, mixed media on mulberry Hanji, 15 3/4 x 15 3/4 in, MK/M 107
“Clouds” 2022, mixed media on mulberry Hanji, 16 1/2 x 17 1/8 in, MK/M 106
Sold
“Blue Mountain” 2022, ink on mulberry Hanji, 31 1/10 x 64 in, MK/M 104
Sold
“Timeless – red” 2022, mixed media - ink on mulberry Hanji, 35 4/5 x 26 in, MK/M 103
“Story” 2023, mixed media on mulberry Hanji, 25 3/5 x 31 2/3 in, MK/M 101
Sold
“Story” 2020, mixed media - ink on mulberry Hanji, 11 4/5 x 15 3/4 in, MK/M 63
“Timeless” 2019, mixed media - ink on mulberry Hanji, 37 2/5 x 29 1/7 in, MK/M 62
“Water” 2022, mixed media on mulberry Hanji, 29 3/4 x 21 2/3 in, MK/M 105
Sold
“Red Mountain” 2021, ink on mulberry Hanji, 20 1/2 x 30 3/4 in, MK/M 93
Sold
“Grey Mountain” 2007, ink on mulberry Hanji, 10 1/4 x 12 1/3 in, MK/M 60
Sold
“New York” 2020, mixed media on mulberry Hanji, 35 2/5 x 27 1/2 in, MK/M 80
Sold