Jade Kim is a South Korean visual artist, best known for his colourful and endearing paintings and sculptures. The central character of his oeuvre, ‘Min’, is a fictional figure inspired by his beloved wife, and shares her personalities, hobbies, and social issues and so on. After nearly 10 years of working in exhibition curation and product design, Kim finally pursued his long-term dream of becoming a full-time artist.
“I want to give people a utopian message by painting and shaping the character’s expressions of warmth, relief, and emotions hidden in the world that are changing personally.” —— Jade Kim
Min is portrayed as a tender and angelic little girl, often surrounded by nature and flowers, inviting the audience to attune internally with her the dreamy and sometimes melancholic look in her eyes. Behind her delicate appearance, however, there is a sense of strength and determination radiating from within, hinting at a brave and audacious side of her personality. In Flower Aura, Min stands in front of a gigantic and vibrantly colourful bouquet, the colour of which works in harmony with the blue sky in the background. As the lightest part of the composition, her snow-white rabbit ear hat stands out from the colourful image, inviting the viewer’s attention to blossom from the centre outwards, just as the beautiful flowers in the bouquet.
Jade Kim, Reflection, 2021
Sold for HKD 756,000 at Phillips Hong Kong, 28 September 2022
Born in 1981 in Seoul, South Korea, Kim studied at the Korea National University of Arts, and now lives and works in his hometown. Kim’s most recent solo shows include Communications and Relationship at Gallery Ascend, Hong Kong (1-23 October 2022), and his first ever solo exhibition, The Blooming Moment, with the Warehouse Gallery and Gallery Func in Shanghai (29 July - 29 August 2022), marking his debut in mainland China.
His latest group shows include New Wave at JN Gallery, Seoul (26 August - 24 September 2022), The Flow at Fir Gallery, Beijing (26 March - 5 May 2022), and Childhood Memories at Volery Gallery, Dubai (10 February – 8 March 2022).
Provenance
Private Collection, Korea (acquired directly from the artist) Acquired from the above by the present owner