Ahra Kim

For Ahra Kim, the canvas is not merely a surface for painting. By dismantling and reassembling canvas stretchers, the artist creates original abstract works that embody the architectural elegance of traditional Korean wooden construction. “I found a resonance between the joint systems of traditional architecture—where wooden columns and beams are carved and fitted together—and the structural composition of canvas frames,” Kim explains. Kim’s practice is defined by her ability to traverse the boundaries between two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms, between painting and sculpture, reinterpreting tradition through a distinctly contemporary visual language.

Ahra Kim earned both her BFA and MFA in Environmental Sculpture from Kyonggi University’s College of Fine Arts. Since then, she has developed a distinctive body of work that extends beyond sculpture to encompass painting and installation. Through solo exhibitions in Seoul and Wanju, as well as group exhibitions in Hong Kong, Kim has actively engaged with both domestic and international art scenes. Her practice continues to deepen around the intersection of architecture and sculpture, forming a rigorous visual language uniquely her own.

A defining characteristic of Ahra Kim’s work is her elevation of the “support structure”—the very framework that once held the painting—as the central subject of the artwork itself. Drawing on the forms and principles of traditional Korean architecture—such as the lattice patterns of doors and windows and gongpo (brackets supporting the roof’s weight)—she re-carves and reconfigures the wooden stretcher frames into sculptural compositions. To evoke the distinctive surface of dancheong—the decorative painting found on wood—Kim combines traditional Korean bunchae (East Asian mineral pigments) with contemporary acrylics, underscoring her deep engagement with both materiality and history. Rather than replicating traditional forms, she seeks to initiate new dialogues between the past and the present.

The artist states, “Recently, I’ve been exploring ways to deconstruct forms in my sculptural work to more vividly express materiality.” She explains that this marks a shift more fully toward three-dimensional expressions beyond the relief format. As for what drives this evolution, Kim reflects, “There’s no greater joy than witnessing the moment when an idea in my mind takes shape into a completed work.”

At this year’s Kiaf, she presents a new body of work that extends beyond her previous practice. These pieces focus on the forms of sculpture, the surrounding voids, and the interplay between those vacant spaces and the broader spatial environment. The artist notes, “I hope viewers will closely observe how the sculptural forms and the surrounding vacant space interact and harmonize with one another.

Untitled-Connection #5, acrylic and pigmenst on wood frame for canvas, 95.3x162x22.5cm