Sundoo Kim

Sundoo Kim, 낮별-꼬깔콘, 172 x 140 cm, ink on Korean paper

The work of Kim Sundoo carries a subtle yet deliberate sleight of hand within it. It defies easy categorization of neither wholly traditional ink painting nor casual drawing while employing what might be called a strategic technique of “intentionally unrefined mastery.” His images evoke a carefully constructed spontaneity, an aesthetic akin to what one finds in the childlike script of Chusa Kim Jeong-hee or in the ‘heta-uma (へたうま, “bad-but-good”)’ sensibility of Japanese illustration. Here, technical excellence is not pursued as an end in itself. Rather, Kim aims for a more primordial state of expression: an artistry that approaches the genuine through the guise of naivety. The works may seem sketch-like at first glance, but they are in fact the product of meticulously layered pigments over tightly woven hanji, executed with seasoned control. In this paradox lies a key characteristic of Kim’s mature practice: the guise of the unpolished concealing the depth of mastery.

Sundoo Kim, 낮별-꿀벌들, 130 x 162 cm, 2025

Kim Sundoo’s pictorial strategies break the traditional conventions of Korean painting, which are often steeped in allegories, parables, and moral didacticism. His compositions evoke the immediacy of a child’s drawing or spontaneous doodles. Yet this surface-level playfulness belies a deeper reconfiguration of perspective and gaze. Unlike the typical elevated, omniscient viewpoint of birds in classical East Asian landscapes—where the viewer surveys the world from a detached, aerial vantage—the artist anchors us at ground level. Imagine, for instance, the wilted stem of a sunflower: beneath it, an ant stumbles upon a morsel of food and, in delight, lifts its gaze. From this lowly position, the flower’s stalk appears immense, the sky vast. The viewer unwittingly gets to lock eyes with such minor, overlooked presences, discovering a new vantage from which to apprehend the world. His paintings invert the vertical gaze of classical landscape into one that emerges from below, compelling us to shed pretense and to see the world as it is—directly, and with humility.

Sundoo Kim, 낮별-맨드라미, 167 x 71 cm, 2025

To see is to locate and define oneself. Through vision, we discern our surroundings, our context, and, ultimately, our being. In the idiom ‘hongun takwol (洪雲托月)’, in traditional oriental painting, the moon, ever-present in the sky, becomes visible in when revealed through the presence of clouds. Likewise, we come to know ourselves through what we observe. One cannot see, let alone comprehend oneself, by always rushing forward. Kim Sundoo’s series is a meditation on this very principle. A rendering of time suspended, of space inhabited rather than traversed. These are not merely depictions of nature, but landscapes of lived experience—spatial self-portraits in which the rhythms of life unfold without urgency.

The series emerged from a moment of quiet revelation during a rural retreat. Through the window of a mountain lodge, the night sky shimmered with stars—so numerous and vivid they seemed to overflow the heavens. Such a spectacle, now largely obscured in the urban night, stirred deep memories. Yet, as morning came, the stars, though still present, faded from view. These invisible daylight stars became a metaphor for immutable truths—essences that endure even when hidden from sight. The series thus contemplates permanence amidst transience, and the quiet persistence of what remains unseen.

Sundoo Kim, 낮별-옥수수, mineral pigment on Korean paper, 76x127cm, 2024

Within these celestial backdrops, flowers bloom, birds peck, and cats prowl. While the subjects fall within the traditional genre of ‘Hwachoryoungmo (paintings of flowers, birds, and animals)’, the artist disrupts the genre’s decorous conventions. His imagery is infused with narrative, often verging on illustration, and brims with contemporary references such as snack wrappers. This fusion of classical form and postmodern content reflects the hybridity of our present condition. In one work, a bird is not gently admiring a flower, but rather poking at a crumpled snack bag—a stark metaphor for urban life. In the Dried Fish series, particularly , Kim Sundoo presents a poignant transformation. A fish once fluid and resplendent in its aquatic vitality now appears stiffened, desiccated, almost grotesque. It no longer resembles what it once was; its essence lost, its form distorted. This image of lifeless rigidity becomes a meditation on mortality, rigidness, and the cost of losing flexibility—whether in body, spirit, or society. Created during a period of growing social polarization and rancor, the work resonates as a somber warning. Life, the artist suggests, is sustained not by intransigence but by suppleness, by the capacity for openness, softness, and grace.

Sundoo Kim, 지지않는 꽃, 75 x 143 cm, mineral pigments on Korean paper, 2024

The figures in Kim Sundoo’s series are not anonymous archetypes but recognizable professional individuals whose identities and vocations are legible. In this way, they are portraits of the everyday remarkable. A victorious athlete, caught in a moment of triumph, radiates energy, confidence, and exultation. Yet, the artist does not idealize. His subjects, even at their peak, bear traces of weariness, solemnity, and fleeting melancholy. The beauty captured here is not that of perfection, but of presence—of being fully, vulnerably human.

Installation View (1)

Life, for all, is a challenging and solitary path. The series reflects memories of childhood, when walking alone at night inspired both fear and wonder. The darkness was daunting, but the appearance of a full moon offered comfort and companionship. Though the moon shines universally, the solitary traveler beneath it remains a tiny figure. Yet, to encounter the moon on a lonely path is to meet a presence that illuminates one’s journey. Whether that guiding force is a person, an artwork, or a persistent desire, it becomes a source of endurance and meaning.

Installation View (2)

Kim Sundoo’s work offers a rare synthesis of visual splendor and contemplative depth. His works are at once accessible and resonant, tender yet urgent. They fulfill a central task of contemporary Korean painting: to speak in a present-day idiom while sustaining the philosophical gravitas of tradition. These images—slowly cultivated through sustained labor and lived inquiry—are not simply representations, but resonances. In their quiet insistence, they remind us: nothing in life is easily earned. His paintings, bearing the weight of time and intent, reverberate like a solemn chant—urging us to listen, and to see anew.

Installation View (3)

Kim Sundoo’s work encompasses a rare sense of spectacle and rapture, while also engaging in quiet contemplation on the nature of life. Light, beautiful, and intimate on the surface, the paintings nevertheless fulfill the challenge of rendering contemporaneity within the tradition of Korean painting in multifaceted ways. At their core, they are constructed with deep seriousness, a commitment to penetrating life’s essence and reflecting upon society through a sustained philosophical inquiry. In their quiet insistence, they remind us that nothing in life is easily earned. His paintings, bearing the weight of time and intent, reverberate like a solemn chant—urging us to listen, and to see anew.

Sundoo Kim Solo Exhibition Poster

“A Hymn to the Humble Lives Within a Dazzling World”, Eun-Jung Cho (Art Critic, Art Historian)

GalleryMEME
3, Insadong 5-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Korea
+82 2 733 8877

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