[Lady Gyeonghyang] Jul. Issue| Featured Artist Interview

  • 17.10.09
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[Lady Gyeonghyang] Jul. Issue| Featured Artist Interview






When people think about Hanbok, a traditional Korean outfit, they have certain expectations. Hyunjung Kim deliberately defies those expectations by painting a picture that shows Hanbok in an unstressed everyday-life manner. Responsible for an ironically even lovelier look is probably the designer's own persona, a modern Korean woman who enjoys shopping and can't live without her phone. Eloquence met the young, witty artist for an insightful chat.

 

 

Hanbok elements play a significant role in your work. How did that come about?

  The most important function of the hanbok is to highlight 'the impact of common expectations'. The series Feign started with my personal thoughts about false assumptions and people who act differently on the inside and the outside, and I'm slowly developing that into a more personal confession and a general statement undermining stereotypes. The works depict delicate garments that are usually worn to festive occasions, in rather atypical, often humorous situations, as well as in combination with modern items that take away the entitlement to judge. These contrasts are, of course, present in other outfits, but I really do pattern and accessories of the Korean hanbok. Those unique attributes are more than enough to spark my expressiveness as an artist.

 

 

Your paintings often depict womens two-sideness. Is there something being feigned there?

  If you look up the word feign it will say something like, acting shy on the outside, but really being deceptive. But, as you can see in your question, most people will naturally associate the word feign with the picture of a woman, even though it is, of course free of gender. While I do agree that it is an expression that in our society suits a woman better than a man, I dont think that it is an exclusively female characteristic. I think that it is a rather common social urge of people to gain confirmation from one another and hide personal weaknesses that result in discordance;. Sometimes it appears almost instinctively, but I also believe that people will sacrifice part of their own selves, their own identities for social convenience. While I planned Feign as an expression of dissatisfaction with pretentious people and a desire for pictorial expression, it has now become a psychological and philosophical topic for me.

 

 

The pieces that show nude body parts underneath the hanbok are particularly memorable. They could be interpreted sexually.

  I often think that women have to hide their inherent desires and true nature more than men. As mentioned before, I think that pretention is more connected to women and frankly, I think that it is reality. Theres a part of me that chose to draw women because Ive experienced such things first-hand. However, the nudity is there to express that people wear clothes only to adorn themselves, to show that they have a clean core. Its a very important element. The viewer can see through the half transparent textile the essence of the person, and the silhouettes to indicate the characters possibility to reach that core. Seen from the females essential core in my paintings, could one really think I was sending a sexual message?

 

 

The Feign series is fairly well known, but what other works have you previously done?

  The Feign series can be seen entirely as a study of my own personality. Before that I was preparing for that process of searching. I,E, my own version of The Thinker. When I was in that self-defining of elements of Korean beauty make me nod along to his insightful explanations. I would like to take our art, our hanboks and hanji (Korean traditional paper) and present their subtle beauty proudly all over the world. And Takashi Murakmi is an artist whose works have taught me that art can coexist with capitalistic industrialization and still be a part of our everyday lives. One of my dream is to see art being as much a part of everybodys life as music, to see it being a base for joy that anybody can easily pick up. He showed me that art can become a way to nestle on industrialized territory.

 

 

It seems as if one can see your own lifestyle depicted in your works. What kind of person are you?

  Thats something I would completely leave up to the spectator. I actually like shopping and very lively things, but on the other hand I enjoy being by myself and like any other artist I am a rather emotional person This might be the right time to unburden myself  as a girl who likes lively things  from something Id like to say about the expression drawing (spoiled) girl. I think that it is denigrating and suppressing womens hopes of a bright and vivid life. Everybody has those desires, not just women. I would like to see more confidence and acceptance of peoples tastes and preferences. Thats one of the things I realized about myself during my working process.

 

 

What kind of artist would like to be come?

  I would like to be an artist who scratches people where it itches. I usually answer this question with, artists are people who express other people desires. Artists are more sensitive and emotionally charged than other people. They are able to express what others might not be able to understand in the first place or issues they can identify with but dont know how to let out. Artists are professional. I try to be a sensitive, worldly person, interactive and keen on life.


Copyright 2013 By 김현정 All Pictures Cannot be copied without permission

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