The title of Eunju KIM’s solo exhibition, Try To Draw, is also the name of her artworks. Within this simple and concise phrase lies the accumulation of countless “lines” drawn with a single pencil over many years and the “zen” cultivated through this meditative act.

그려보다(Try to draw) 211010, 2021, Pencil on paper, 100 x 80cm

Line (線)
Born and raised in Busan in 1965, Eunju KIM has dedicated over 30 years to working exclusively with a pencil on paper. Her early works from the 1990s to the early 2000s predominantly featured the human figure. These works were characterized by their raw intensity and sharp, unrestrained pencil strokes that filled the canvas with unyielding energy. The monumental figures, covering walls over 20 meters wide, and the writhing bodies seemingly struggling to escape the confines of their frames, reflect the artist’s youthful defiance against societal conventions and injustices that threatened her existence. At the same time, they assert the dignity and essence of the human condition.
By the mid-2000s, KIM’s canvas began to shift from human forms to vast waves, fluttering petals, and flowers that seemed to carry the breath of the wind. The death of her father, who embodied the vastness of the ocean, and the winds of her seaside hometown became rhythms and breaths that shaped her work. The subjects she once drew transformed into the act of drawing itself. On a blank canvas, countless lines began to accumulate, embodying persistence and continuity. Her repetitive, labor-intensive process of layering lines, akin to a spiritual practice, became an expression of the life force and energy arising from the depths of her inner self.

그려보다(Try to draw) 230619, 2023, Pencil on paper, 120 x 90cm

Zen (禪)
Lines drawn and redrawn shift in texture and depth depending on the angle of light, creating a dynamic interplay between black forms on white paper. These forms, shimmering yet solid, stand out in contrast to the blank background, embodying the harmony of complementary forces. While her works ultimately take the shape of waves, vases, or flowers, these forms are merely visual appearances. As the artist herself states, “A flower is not a flower, a vase is not a vase, and a wave is not a wave.” The subject of her drawings no longer holds importance.

Through the meditative process of repetitive line-drawing, KIM transcends thought and self-awareness, becoming one with the act of drawing itself. This mindful detachment has become her current artistic pursuit, a practice aligned with her age of “ease of hearing” (isoon, a stage in Confucian thought where one listens and understands without bias).
Chinese Buddhist scholar Fei Yong describes spiritual practice as “remaining undisturbed by the forms and ideas of this world, dwelling peacefully in one’s true nature, feeling the joy of life itself, and discerning its essence.” This practice seeks to cultivate a mind unshaken by external appearances and phenomena, ultimately finding solace and balance amidst the suffering and turmoil of existence. Eunju KIM’s assertion that “a flower is not a flower, a vase is not a vase, and a wave is not a wave” resonates deeply with this philosophy.
What began as a simple enjoyment has evolved into an act of “drawing” that mirrors spiritual practice. Over three decades, her persistent repetition of drawing lines embodies a journey of self-discovery and mindfulness, one that powerfully resonates with viewers and leaves a lasting impression.

Jeongwon KIM (Gallerist / Gallery MAC), 2024

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