Hyunju Kim

Translated through the disciplinary of painting, South Korean artist Hyunju Kim investigates subjects that concern the subconscious, memory, and feeling, which are painted onto canvases that are aesthetically surreal and figurative. “My inspirations often come from my own dreams, Old Masters’ work, and images that I found in my daily routine” explains Hyunju Kim. “In contents-wise I apply in three parts: a reinterpretation of old European masters’ work, a recreation of my own dreams-using digital collages, and some images from Google search to present a contemporary collective subconscious world.”

The artist compares painting to a parallel practice to that of dreaming, appointing herself as the creator for her dreams and pieces of art in equal measures, albeit, Hyunju refuses to label herself as an author. “I am the one who makes dream images and holds brushes and applies colors, but this “I” seems a mediator, not a main creator,” she elucidates. “The world of dreams is bigger than “I,” and the world of painting is bigger than a mere human being. This “I” is not important, and it has to disappear. The more I work, the more I tend to disappear.”