A Sculptural Perspective Through Turbulent Times: Sungbok Kim's "Shadows of Longing" Exhibition

Until February 5 at Noh Gallery in Jongno

Noh Gallery is opening the new year of 2026 with its first exhibition, a solo show by sculptor Sungbok Kim titled "Shadows of Longing." The exhibition runs until February 5 at Noh Gallery in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and has been organized to commemorate Kim's receipt of the 14th Korean Art Critics Association Artist Award.

Sungbok Kim, Dream Spoon (2018). Courtesy of Noh Gallery

This exhibition features a total of around 100 works, including 20 sculptures crafted from granite and stainless steel, as well as 80 acrylic paintings. It offers a comprehensive look at Sungbok Kim's decades-long exploration of form and aesthetic reflection.

After studying sculpture at Hongik University and its graduate school, Sungbok Kim has consistently explored the form and materiality of Korean sculpture, focusing primarily on stone. He has held 18 solo exhibitions and participated in over 400 group exhibitions both in Korea and abroad, maintaining an active artistic career while also working as an educator. Beginning with the Art World Artist Award in 2002, he has received numerous honors recognizing the quality of his work, most recently the 14th Korean Art Critics Association Artist Award.

Sungbok Kim's artistic world begins not with pessimism in turbulent times, but by focusing on the attitudes and daily lives of individuals living within them. Rather than grand social narratives, he captures the lives of individuals within those contexts and transforms them with a positive perspective. Imagination drawn from folklore and myth-such as haetae with goblin club tails or figures with oversized hands and feet-is realized through a sculptural language rich in wit, humor, and allegorical symbolism.

The figures in his works possess superhuman appearances, yet they are closer to humans imbued with anxiety and vulnerability than to perfect heroes. Through these forms, Sungbok Kim sculpturally expresses the resilience of individuals who do not easily falter and maintain their place even amid harsh realities. Signature works like "Even When the Wind Blows, One Must Go," "Dream Spoon," and "Myth" satirize and twist the desires and contradictions of contemporary society through humor and wit, ultimately delivering messages of faith and positivity.

The paintings featured in this exhibition offer a different sensibility from the sculptures. Rendered in acrylic, these works convey more delicate emotions and inner currents through color, resonating organically with the sculptural pieces. Through this, visitors can see that Sungbok Kim's artistic world has expanded across diverse forms, not confined to a single medium.

A representative from Noh Gallery commented, "'Shadows of Longing' is an exhibition that provides an overview of the thought and sculptural experimentation Sungbok Kim has accumulated over many years. It will serve as an opportunity to reflect on individuals who steadfastly maintain their place even amid anxiety in a turbulent reality."