[Gallery Walk] Searching for 'Identity and Value' in Imaginary Spaces

Berry Kim Solo Exhibition 'VERY BERRY'
Until March 5, Pyo Gallery, Jongno-gu, Seoul

Artist Berry Kim, who introduces herself as the 'Berrycat Princess' from Berryland, focuses on true happiness. Rather than fixating on the image shown on SNS in a uniform materialistic society, she seeks her true self and what is valuable, capturing the journey of everyday life in her works, gaining public attention.

Beckie Mouse, (30 Edition), 50cm x 50cm, G-Cli Print and Aluminum frame
Photo by Pyo Gallery

Pyo Gallery is hosting Berry Kim's solo exhibition 'VERY BERRY' until March 5. The artist gained widespread recognition by appearing on the art variety show 'No Money No Art' aired on KBS2, sharing her artistic world with the public.

She lives in 'Berryland' and stays on Earth, recording her unique perspective and interests through her paintings. As an artist, she resists the flow of standardized aesthetic standards and pursues work that finds her own identity.

Without relying on visible values such as physical beauty or flashy luxury goods, she expresses the journey of finding self-worth through her art, conveying both personal growth and social messages through her work.

In modern society, where appearances on SNS are considered the standard of success, many people lose themselves within a uniform mold to receive 'likes.' The artist breathes life into and makes special the objects in our daily lives?clothes, shoes, bags?that silently fulfill their roles but become familiar and tiresome over time.

Hollywood Hot Guy (30 Edition), 50(W)cm x 50(H)cm, G-Cli Print and Aluminum Frame
Photo by Pyo Gallery

Through this process, she delivers the message that true happiness comes not from beautiful appearances or overflowing wealth, but from what is close and from oneself.

The artist confesses that everyday objects seemed lonely and somehow resembled herself in a rapidly changing society. Comforted by this, she attaches eyes, nose, mouth, arms, and legs to them, dresses them, breathes life into them, and creates characters to build her own Berryland.

In a society that has forgotten that uniqueness and diversity are valuable, her works, rich with messages, propose to the audience to move forward into the future through a cheerful painting style.

Berry Kim graduated from SADI and studied illustration at Kingston University in the UK. After working as an artwork designer in London, she embarked on her path as an artist following a self-realization she experienced there. She is expanding her global activities through various projects such as exhibitions, corporate collaborations, character goods, and invitations as an artist to the 2023 Urban Break Art Fair, as well as participation in The Other Art Fair in LA.