Minjung Kim

Minjung Kim
김민정
Born1962 (age 63–64)
Gwangju, South Korea
EducationHongik University (BFA, MFA)
Brera Academy (MFA)
OccupationHanji Paper Artist
Notable work‘The Light, The Shade, The Depth’(2015 Venice Biennale)

'Traces' (2024, Art Basel)

'Story' (2006, Met Museum)
Websitehttps://minjung-kim.com/

Minjung Kim (Korean: 김민정; born 1962) is a Korean contemporary paper artist that specializes in hanji paper art, ink painting, and calligraphy. Kim has had work displayed in museums internationally, the Gwangju Biennale in 2004 and 2018, Jeonnam International Sumuk Biennale in 2025, and the Venice Biennale in 2015.

Between 1991 and 2026, Kim has had 68 solo exhibitions in museums in Europe, North America, and Asia. She has also been featured in group exhibitions on women in abstract art, contemporary landscape painting styles, contemporary Korean art, the 'feeling of light' in a painting as inspired by Kora of Sicyon, and many more.

Biography

Kim was raised in rural Gwangju, Jeolla-do, South Korea. Her father was a printing shop owner. Kim began calligraphy art and experimenting with paper scraps as a child. According to Kim, she knew that she would be an artist when she was young since she won all of the local art competitions.

Kim completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts (1985) at Hongik University in Seoul, South Korea. She moved to Milan, Italy in 1991 to complete a Master of Fine Arts at Brera Academy.

Kim is currently based between New York City, United States and St. Paul de Vence, France

Art technique

Kim burns the edges of hanji, traditional Korean paper, and further manipulates it create minimal collages. She folds, cuts, tears, sculpts, and glues the hanji scraps to create a full minimalist, abstract picture(s).

She told Forbes that she chose paper as her medium because "You can make a web, a painting, you can tear it, you can cut it, you can bond it... My life is a diaspora. Paper, you can roll it, you can take with you. It’s like your skin.”

Her artistic inspirations include minimalist and abstract artists, including Constantin Brâncusi, Brice Marden, Guo Xi, Briget Riley, and painters from the Joseon Dynasty.

Solo exhibitions

Exhibition Dates Gallery Location
Mountain TBD 2026 Almine Rech Gstaad, Switzerland
The Pulse of Ink, Paper and Fire Jan 21 — Mar 7, 2026 Almine Rech Brussels, Belgium
Survey of Works January 5, 2026 – January 31, 2026 Space Gallery Gustavia, Saint Barthélémy, France
Repetitions 2026 Robilant+Voena Gallery Milan, Italy
Traces of Silence October 2, 2025 - November 22, 2025 Galerie Commeter [de] Hamburg, Germany
One after the Other August 27, 2025 - October 19, 2025 Gallery Hyundai Seoul, South Korea
Mountain Nov 9, 2024 —Feb 23, 2025 Fondation Maeght Saint-Paul de Vence, France
Regeneration Apr 26 — May 25, 2024 Almine Rech Paris, France
Repetición February 24 – April 3, 2024 Galerie Nordenhake [sv] Mexico City, Mexico
Minjung Kim December 19, 2023 - January 28, 2024 Robilant+Voena St. Moritz, Switzerland
Burning Gravity September 21– October 30, 2023 Almine Rech & Sotheby's Monaco
Timeless September 16 – November 3, 2021 Galerie Commeter Hamburg, Germany
Long Street of Timeless History of Phasing Grey Snow into Water September 15 – October 30, 2021 Volker Diehl Gallery Berlin, Germany
Timeless February 19, 2019 – March 28, 2021 Hyundai Gallery Seoul, South Korea
Minjung Kim March 4, 2020 - March 27, 2021 Hill Art Foundation New York, NY, USA
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition September 29, 2019 – March 22, 2020 Langen Foundation Neuss, Germany
Minjung Kim July 5 –September 15, 2019 Catherine Issert Gallery Saint Paul de Vence, France
Minjung Kim June 19 – September 5, 2019 Galería Cayón Mahón, Menorca, Spain
Mountains December 29, 2018 Robilant+Voena Gallery St. Moritz, Switzerland
The Memory of Process January 25 – March 10, 2018 White Cube London, England, UK
Making the Void, Filling the Void August 22– November 25, 2018 Gwanju Museum of Art [ko] Gwangju, South Korea
Phasing 2017 Patrick Heide Contemporary Art London, England, UK
Cendre & Lumière 2017 Musée des Arts Asiatiques Nice, France
Oneness 2017 Hermès Foundation Singapore
Paper, Ink and Fire: After the Process September 1 –October 8, 2017 Hyundai Gallery Seoul, South Korea
Phasing 2016 Galerie Volker Diehl Berlin, Germany
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2016 Leslie Sacks Gallery Santa Monica, CA, USA
Traces 2015 OCI Museum of Art Seoul, South Korea
The Light, The Shade, The Depth 2015 Luxembourg & Dayan Venice Biennale, Italy
Oko 2014 New York, NY, USA
Sound of Light 2014 Galerie Commeter Hamburg, Germany
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2014 Studio d'Arte Raffaelli Trento, Italy
Art Genève 2014 2014 Artgèneve Salon d'Art Geneva, Switzerland
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2013 Patrick Heide Contemporary Art London, England, UK
Sound of Light 2012 Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Roma Rome, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2012 Leslie Sacks Gallery Brentwood, CA, USA
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2012 Galleria Sahrai Milan, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2010 Galleria Sant'Angelo Biella, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2009 Galleria Valeria Bella Stampe Milan, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2009 Patrick Heide Contemporary Art London, England, UK
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2009 Galleria Ermanno Tedeschi Rome, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2008 Galleria Ermanno Tedeschi Turin, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2008 Robilant+Voena Gallery London, England, UK
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2008 Gallerie Mudimadrie Antwerp, Belgium
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2007 Guanshanyue Art Museum [ch] Shenzen, China
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2007 Leslie Sacks Gallery Brentwood, CA, USA
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2007 Copenhagen Art Gallery Copenhagen, Denmark
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2007 Patrick Heide Contemporary Art London, England, UK
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2007 Giudecca795 Galleria d'Arte Venice, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2006 Montecarlo Art Gallery Milan, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2006 Fondazione Palazzo Bricherasio Turin, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2006 Galleria Valeria Bella Stampe Milan, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2004 Arte 92 Milan, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2004 Ikos Milan, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2003 Museo Comunale di Ascona Ascona, Switzerland
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2003 Leslie Sacks Gallery Brentwood, CA, USA
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2003 Galerie Patrick Gramer Geneva, Switzerland
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2002 Galleria Recalcati Turin, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2002 Copenhagen Art Gallery Copenhagen, Denmark
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 2002 Galleria Cafisco Milan, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 1999 Wickiser Gallery New York, NY, USA
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 1999 Galerie Patrick Gramer Geneva, Switzerland
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 1998 Galleria Cafisco Milan, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 1997 Cappella di Villa Ruffolo Ravello, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 1996 Galleria Arte Borgogna Milan, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 1996 Galleria Kontraste Forte dei Marmi, Italy
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 1991 Baik Song Gallery Seoul, South Korea
Minjung Kim Solo Exhibition 1991 Injae Art Museum Gwangju, South Korea

Festival exhibitions

Artwork Festival Dates Location
Somewhere over the yellow sea: 4th annual Jeonnam International Sumuk Biennale August 30, 2025 - October 31, 2025 Jeollanam-do, South Korea
Traces Art Basel Unlimited 2024 Basel, Switzerland
14th Gwanju Biennale April 7 - July 9, 2023 Gwangju, South Korea
Enter Art Fair 2022 August 24 – 27 2023 Copenhagen, Denmark
Enter Art Fair 2021 August 25 – 28, 2022 Copenhagen, Denmark
Imagined Borders: 12th Gwangju Biennale 2018 September 7 – November 11, 2018 Gwangju, South Korea
The Balance of Non-Sculpting Changwon Sculpture Biennale 2018 4 September - 14 October 2018 Chanwon, South Korea
The Light, The Shade, The Depth 2015 Venice Biennale May 9 – November 22, 2015 Venice, Italy

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kim, Minjung. "CV". Minjung Kim. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  2. 1 2 3 Kim, Minjung. "About". Minjung Kim. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  3. ↑ "Minjung Kim: The Light, The Shade, The Depth: Venice". Luxembourg + Company. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  4. ↑ Kim, Na-rang. "김민정 작가가 그리는 물의 산과 산의 불". Vogue Korea (in Korean).
  5. ↑ "Store". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  6. 1 2 3 "Minjung Kim: Artist Overview". Almine Rech. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  7. 1 2 "Somewhere Over the Yellow Sea: Jeonnam International Sumuk Biennale". e-flux. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  8. ↑ "Gesture & Form: Women in Abstraction". Almine Rech. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  9. ↑ "Looking at Horizons". Almine Rech. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  10. ↑ "55 YEARS: A LEGACY OF MODERN & CONTEMPORARY KOREAN ART | Part II". Gallery Hyundai (in Korean (South Korea)). Retrieved 2026-07-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ↑ "Feeling of Light". Almine Rech. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  12. 1 2 Tetto, Mark. Shim, Hyo-jin (ed.). "한지로 창조하는 세계 김민정 작가" [The world created with Hanji Author Minjeong Kim]. Living Sense Magazine (in Korean).
  13. 1 2 Bochicchio, Sarah (2024-04-22). "Cover Artist Minjung Kim Masters a Dedication to Material". Whitewall. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  14. 1 2 3 "Minjung Kim: The Light, The Shade, The Depth: Venice". Luxembourg + Co. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Walsh, Brienne. "Minjung Kim Became A Master Before She Became Famous". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  16. ↑ "Minjung Kim". Patrick Heide Contemporary Art. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  17. ↑ "Acquisitions | 2019". Record of the Art Museum. 79/80. Princeton University: 106–149. 2019. ISSN 0032-843X – via JSTOR.
  18. ↑ "Minjung Kim". Artvisor. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "PAST". Minjung Kim. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  20. ↑ "Minjung Kim - The Pulse of Ink, Paper, and Fire". Almine Rech. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  21. ↑ "Minjung Kim | A Survey of Works". Space Gallery St Barth. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  22. 1 2 "Minjung Kim". Galerie Commeter. Archived from the original on 2025-01-15. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  23. ↑ "Minjung Kim - Mountain". Almine Rech. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  24. ↑ "Minjung Kim, Moutain". Fondation Maeght. 2024-09-26. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  25. ↑ "Minjung Kim - Regeneration". Almine Rech. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  26. ↑ "Repetición". Galerie Nordenhake. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  27. ↑ "Minjung Kim". Robilant & Voena. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  28. ↑ "Burning Gravity - Sotheby's Monaco opens exhibition of Korean artist Minjung Kim". Almine Rech. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  29. ↑ "LONG STREET OF TIMELESS HISTORY OF PHASING GREY SNOW INTO WATER". Galerie Volker Diehl. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  30. ↑ "Minjung Kim". Hill Art Foundation. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  31. ↑ "Minjung KIM". Galerie Catherine Issert. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  32. ↑ "The Memory of Process". White Cube. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  33. ↑ "Calendar". The Burlington Magazine. 160 (1379): 171–176. 2018. ISSN 0007-6287 – via JSTOR.
  34. ↑ Heo, Yun-hee (2025-10-09). "Kim Min-jung's Ocean Wave Art Resembles Hometown Mountains". The Chosun Daily (in Korean). Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  35. 1 2 "Exhibitions". Galleri Benoni (in Danish). 2024-03-04. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  36. ↑ "Enter Art Fair 2023". StirPad. Archived from the original on 2025-09-17. Retrieved 2026-07-08.
  37. ↑ "ENTER ART FAIR 2022 - Copenhagen". In the Gallery. 2022-06-14. Retrieved 2026-07-08.