An Organised Lady

Kim is a London-based narrative painter who was born and raised in South Korea.
Kim’s work addresses the formation and re-negotiation of cultural identity, drawing from her own experience growing up in a conservative Korean context. Since moving to London in 2016, Kim was confronted with a radically unfamiliar cultural environment which led to a range of new perspectives on beauty, femininity, and social relations. Her ongoing research is the result of this continually expanding focus, encompassing a broad investigation of the social and political issues surrounding the identity of women, particularly from her own East Asian milieu.

The subjects of her paintings, primarily women, are drawn from real-life but depicted in an imaginary setting, or as Kim describes it, ‘a virtual narrative’.

‘The women in my paintings are randomly placed in isolated, ironic or confusing situations that represent certain issues in the real world or personal crisis.’

These figures radiate a feeling of discomfort, created by their personal circumstances: Kim is interested in this psychological portrayal more than what she calls the ‘root and process’ of the work. Rather than attempting to define her subject’s feelings, however, she focuses on presenting their universality, thus producing ‘little points of contact for empathy with women like her.’