"Zip" Series Symbolizes the Convergence of Duality
Closed Zipper as a Metaphor for Healing and Unity
Debut of the Monumental 8-Meter "Traces"
Exploring Trauma Embedded in Aging
Shedding Light on the Paradoxical Nature of Humanity
Minjung Kim, who has expanded the vocabulary of contemporary abstraction over the past 30 years by presenting works using pieces of hanji burned by fire, made this statement during a press conference held at Gallery Hyundai in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 26th.
On the 26th, at Gallery Hyundai in Jongno, Seoul, artist Minjung Kim is explaining in front of her 'Zip' series during the press conference for her solo exhibition 'One after the Other'. Photo by Seomeum Eo
The main works of her solo exhibition 'One after the Other' are six pieces from the 'Zip' series, in which hanji is burned and stacked in a zigzag pattern. The vividly colored hanji harmonizes in color, creating a single abstract painting. Kim explained, "'Zip' captures the moment when two different elements meet and become one. Within the zigzag form, duality ultimately converges into unity, and that very process leaves a profound resonance. When I attach each piece of scorched paper one by one, a breath of healing and harmony emerges, wrapping around the wounds."
The 'Zip' series showcases the union and harmony of individual elements through the image of a closed zipper. Kim said, "Remember the happiness you felt as a child when you zipped up a jacket? I worked on these pieces while recalling that joy," adding, "So far, I've only shown the image of a smoothly closed zipper, but in the future, I plan to work on pieces depicting open zippers as well."
Kim has long approached materials such as hanji, traditional Korean paper, ink, and fire with a meditative spirit, using techniques of repetition and restraint. The layers of ink and traces of flame on hanji are key materials that open up infinite possibilities for her. By focusing on the coexistence of chance born from extreme control, she evokes a sense of emotional healing and meditation. After leaving Korea in 1991, she studied at the Brera Academy of Fine Arts in Milan, Italy, where she fused her major in Oriental painting with the styles of Western modernist artists, establishing her own unique artistic world. When she held a solo exhibition at the prestigious Mag Foundation in Europe last year, the local art community praised her for "creating hybrid scenes even more ink-like than ink itself."
The 'Mountain' series, exhibited on the first basement level, takes the form of mountains but actually originated from an attempt to depict flowing water. Kim intended to express the movement of water, but upon completion, she discovered instead the image of a mountain. Kim recalled, "I remembered a painter once saying, 'I've reached the point where I can draw all sorts of forms, but I still can't paint flowing water.' I worked with that in mind, but when the piece was finished, it became a mountain. As I get older, I've gained the composure to accept outcomes even if they aren't what I intended. When I work, my restless mind calms down and I soon feel joy."
This exhibition also features, for the first time in Korea, the large-scale work 'Traces,' which was highly praised in the Unlimited section of Art Basel Basel 2024. This monumental piece, spanning eight meters in width, hints at the forms of both 'mountain' and 'water' within its title, 'Traces.'
The phrase Kim mentioned most often while explaining her works was, "I worked joyfully." She emphasized, "When I work, it feels as if the materials are asking me to create them in a certain way. The act of creation is a moment of joy." The exhibition runs through October 19.
Kangseung Lee & Candice Lin Duo Exhibition Focuses on the 'Paradoxical Nature of Humanity'
Nearby at Gallery Hyundai (Hyundai Gallery), the duo exhibition 'Not Me, But Through Me, The Wind of Wealth' by Kangseung Lee and Candice Lin has opened. Both artists have long focused on the narratives of individuals and communities marginalized or erased by social systems and forgotten in history. In this exhibition, they draw attention to the hidden sides of the reality we face and the paradoxical nature of humanity.
On the morning of the 26th, at Gallery Hyundai (Hyundai Gallery), during the press conference for the exhibition "Not Me, But Through Me, The Wind of Wealth," artist Kangseung Lee (right) and artist Candice Lin explained their works. Photo by Seo Mideum
Kangseung Lee, born in Korea and based in Los Angeles, explores 'skin' as a living trace that contains the complex layers of time, experience, and memory. His video work 'Skin' (2024), unveiled in Korea for the first time, delicately documents the dynamic performance of 80-year-old queer dancer and performance artist Meg Harper, exposing without filter the wrinkles, scars, and traces of aging. Lee explained, "Embedded within aging are layers of personal history. I wanted to express, in various ways, the individual and social traumas that the body remembers." In addition, seven of his drawings are on display.
Candice Lin, born in the United States and currently based in Los Angeles, presents paintings, drawings, sculptures, installations, and video works that focus on the boundaries and relationships between humans and animals, using organic materials such as mold and bacteria as intermediaries. A distinctive feature of Lin's work is that it reveals the mechanisms of human violence and oppression underlying idyllic images. Her video work 'Messages from the Feline World to the World' (2025) depicts, from a cat's perspective, the intersecting dynamics of care and domination, intimacy and violence, in the relationships between humans and animals domesticated for food or companionship. Lin explained, "It's a story about my companion cat Roger. I wanted to explore the violence that can exist behind affection." Lin's works shed light on the fact that relationships between humans and nature, and between humans and non-human beings, are fundamentally imbued with violence, oppression, and exploitation.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
