KIM JONG SOOK
The artist, Kim Jong Sook follows the Korean tradition of depicting pristine ink brush landscape paintings. She manages to contemporize a age-old tradition, by embellishing the scene with shimmering crystals in her “Artificial Landscapes” series. The works depict mesmerising panoramic landscapes – soaring cliffs and sudden valleys, neatly sheltering trees and flora within their sharp crevices. The studded Swarovski crystals in all their resplendent glory pepper the canvas. The crystals catch the light and sparkle profusely, making the landscape appear fantastical – a sparkling dreamscape. The artiist transfers the image onto the silkscreen and converts it using various different materials and techniques. She incorporates powdered crystalline pigments, transparent silicone, and Crystal Moonlight and Sapphire Satin crystals. Every crystal in the painting is meticulously hand-applied, giving the work an added dimension. The works acquire a bas-relief effect on account of the crystals studded on the screen-printed image. Each work is a labour of love, a painstaking effort created over a long period of time. Kim’s paintings hold more than just an aesthetic value. Staying true to the tenets of Korean art, her paintings are suffused with layers of psychological meaning and subtle reverence to the rich art historical tradition of the East. Furthermore, her work comments on the traditions of the past and assesses the present; providing a sharp juxtaposition between long-established Korean customs and the modernized consumerist culture prevalent in Korean society.
EDUCATION
Ph.D Department of Painting, Hongik University, Korea
M.F.A Department of Painting, Hongik University, Korea
B.F.A Department of Painting, Hongik University, Korea
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2017 山水 of The Light (Gallery Joeun, Seoul, Korea)
2016 SPARKLING FOREVER Kim, Jong Sook (Superior Gallery Seoul, Seoul, Korea)
2016 Spectacle Crystal (The Trinity & Metro Gallery, Seoul, Korea)
2016 Artificial Landscape (Gallery Rae, Busan, Korea)
2015 Artificial Landscape (Shinhan Gallery, Seoul, Korea)
2014 The Brilliant Day (Avenuel Art Hall, Seoul, Korea)
2013 Artificial Landscape (Kwanhoon Gallery, Seoul, Korea)
2012 Artificial Landscape (Gail Art Museum, Gapyung, Korea)
2011 Artificial Landscape (Kwanhoon Gallery, Seoul, Korea)
2009 Artificial Landscape (Noam Gallery, Seoul, Korea)
2008 Artificial Landscape (Geneva Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland)
2007 Crystallized-from Painting to Drawing (Insa Art Center, Seoul, Korea)
2006 Crystal Nostalgia (CJ Art Gallery, San Diego, CA, USA)
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2017 Asia Week New York 2017 (Kang Contemporary, Manhattan, NY, USA)
2017 Korean Art: Now and Then (Kang Contemporary, Manhattan, NY, USA)
2016 Color-ing (Gallery Grimson, Seoul, Korea)
2015 Walking with Art (Hoseo University Museum, Asan, Korea)
2015 The Present (Goyang Oulim Nuri Art Center, Goyang, Korea)
2015 Representation of Representation, Interpretation of Interpretation (Gallery Now, Seoul, Korea)
2015 Affordable New York 2015 (Metropolitan Pavilion, New York, NY, USA)
2014 Art and Ideals (Ewha Womans University Museum, Seoul, Korea)
2014 Method of Landscape (Epoque Gallery, Seoul, Korea)
2014 Goyang Artist 365 (Aramnuri Museum, Goyang, Korea)
2013 100 Korean Contemporary Artists (Setec, Seoul, Korea)
2013 Korean Stance (Gainey Gallery, Michigan, US, USA)
2013 Avec, Art, Accompagne in Fukuoka (Kurosaki Gallery, Fukuoka, Japan)
2013 Harbingers of Spring (BrynAthyn University Fine Art Building, Philadelphia, Penn, USA)
2013 CIGE 2013 – Beijing Art Fair (Agricultural Exhibition Center, Beijing, China)
2012 Busan International Art Fair Special Exhibition (Bexco, Busan, Korea)
2012 AP21 (Binhai Uiversity Museum, Qingdao, China)
2012 San-su-yu-ram (Gallery H, Daegu, Korea)
2012 Museum Outing-into The Contemporary Art (Anyang Pavilion, Anyang, Korea)
2011 Gyemjae Today to Revive (Gyemjae Memorial Museum, Seoul, Korea)
2011 Thrifty Aesthetics – Aperto (Ga-il Museum, Gapyeong, Korea)
2011 Desired Place (LeeSeoul Gallery, Seoul, Korea)
2011 House & Picture (Kwanhoon Gallery, Seoul, Korea)
2010 Saek-Si-Man-Bal (FEIZI Gallery, Shanghai, China)
2010 The more, the better (Sun Gallery, Seoul, Korea)
2009 The Circular Exhibition (HUN Gallery, Seoul, Korea / Gallery Ho, New York, NY, USA / Gallery Artodrome, Berlin, Germany)
2009 Beijing 798 (Gallery-Space DA, Beijing, China)
2009 Landscape & Still – Life (The K Gallery, Seoul, Korea)
2008 The Special Exhibition of Gwangju Biennale (Gwangju Biennale, Gwangju, Korea)
2008 Europ’ Art Korea Special Exhibition (Geneva Palexpo, Geneva, Swiss)
2007 Encore Alaska (International Gallery of Contemporary Art, Alaska, US, USA)
2007 Diversity in Form & Thought (Doland Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai, China)
2006 Diversity in Form & Thought (Art Gallery of Imperial City, Beijing, China)
2005 Contemporary Project in NewYork (CPS Gallery, New York, NY, USA)
2005 Korean-American Artist Group Exhibition (Cheltenham Art Center, Philadelphia, Penn, USA)