{"id":56009,"date":"2025-08-20T11:28:16","date_gmt":"2025-08-20T02:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/?post_type=insights&p=56009"},"modified":"2025-08-20T14:29:42","modified_gmt":"2025-08-20T05:29:42","slug":"jungin-kim-2025-kiaf-highlights-semi-finalists","status":"publish","type":"insights","link":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/en\/insights\/56009","title":{"rendered":"Jungin Kim | 2025 Kiaf HIGHLIGHTS Semi-Finalists"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jungin Kim<\/p>\n

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Artist Jungin Kim<\/em><\/p>\n

Jungin Kim\u2019s painting resists simple interpretation. At the core of his practice lies the conviction that \u201conce a painting is reduced to a single interpretation, the dynamics of power begin to assert themselves.\u201d He therefore strives to create \u2018open paintings\u2019 that allow for multiple interpretations. By layering seemingly unrelated fragments of memory within a single frame, he invites viewers to lose their way inside the image\u2014and in doing so, imagine their own narrative.<\/p>\n

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Vanished tree, 2025, Oil on canvas, 193.9×130.3cm<\/em><\/p>\n

Kim studied Western painting at Mokwon University and earned both his MFA and PhD in painting from the Graduate School of Fine Arts at Hongik University. Kim first gained critical attention in 2021 when he was selected for the \u2018Art Lab Project\u2019, an experimental exhibition program hosted by the Lee Ungno Museum. In 2022, Kim was subsequently chosen for the Seoul Museum of Art\u2019s Emerging Artist Support Program and the Open Call at the Sungkok Art Museum, further establishing his presence in the contemporary art scene. Kim\u2019s practice continues to evolve through solo exhibitions at venues such as Rahin Gallery and SeMA Storage, a project space of the Seoul Museum of Art.<\/p>\n

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Method of disruption to avoid understanding1, Oil on canvas, 37.9×45.5cm, 2024<\/em><\/p>\n

Kim translates his memories onto the canvas by blending and reassembling them in his paintings. He deliberately juxtaposes unrelated photographs, landscapes, and fragments of memory on the canvas like a collage. The resulting scenes defy linear narrative; their resistance to easy readability, in fact, encourages viewers to linger longer before the painting. The artist explains, \u201cRather than immediately arriving at a fixed meaning from a single image, I hope viewers allow their thoughts to expand freely as they navigate the process of interpretation.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Analog Spectacle2, Oil on canvas, 181.8×227.3cm, 2024<\/em><\/p>\n

Jungin Kim recalibrates and reorders reality through his practice. He candidly admits, \u201cArt begins with free thought, but in the end, it must survive within the practical confines of exhibitions and sales.\u201d Even so, he continues to paint because, for Kim, the act of painting is a way to \u201crearrange the fragmented and indecipherable pieces of reality and discover my own order and rhythm.\u201d For him, painting is not about finding answers, but a practice of wrestling with questions and holding on to sensations.<\/p>\n

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Installaltion View<\/i><\/p>\n

At this year\u2019s Kiaf, Jungin Kim presents a series of paintings that move fluidly between figuration and abstraction. Yet both bodies of work share a common goal: to withhold clear \u2018answers\u2019 and instead offer viewers moments that invite pause and contemplation. As a result, those who stand before his painting often walk away not with conclusions, but with a wealth of open-ended questions. \u201cI hope viewers will discover their distinctive thoughts and sensations in front of each painting,\u201d Kim says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","categories":[50,53],"class_list":["post-56009","insights","type-insights","status-publish","hentry","category-insight","category-live-and-talk"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.0","language":"en","enabled_languages":["ko","en"],"languages":{"ko":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false}}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights\/56009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/insights"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/insights"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kiaf.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}