Ji Eun Kim 김 지은

BiographyJi Eun Kim lives and works in Seoul, Korea. Kim’s works are place-based, rather than pre-planned; they grow organically out of her interactions with local residents, spaces, and histories. She received her B.F.A and M.F.A from Seoul National University, and a M.F.A in painting from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. She was awarded a fellowship from Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture and Vermont Studio Center. She participated in residencies at Kimmel Harding Nelson Center, Jentel Artist Residency Program, I-park, Santa Fe Art Institute, Taipei Artist Village, Nanji Art Studio, Goyang Residency and Doosan Residency New York. She was awarded invitational solo exhibitions at Insa Art Space, Brain Factory and Alternative Space Loop in Seoul, Korea. She took part in the biennial exhibition, “City_net Asia 2007” at Seoul Museum of Art and “Art Spectrum 2012” at LEEUM Samsung Museum of Art. She was awarded 'The 3rd Doosan Yonkang Artist Awards' by Doosan Group Yonkang Foundation in Korea and SongEun Art Award Excellence Prize. She participated in numerous group exhibitions, 'Korean Contemporary: Fusion' at Gallery Ron Mandos, Netherland, 'WOMAD Code: The Eye of Korean Women Artists' at Espace-Louis Vuitton, Hong Kong. With the international attention, Kim's works are collected at Art Bank at National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art(Seoul, Korea), Seoul Museum of Art(Seoul, Korea), ING(The Netherlands), 63 Art Museum, Jeonbuk Museum of Art, Seoul Metropolitan Government and Gyeonggi Children’s Museum.

Artist StatementIn my work, I search for history and narratives that mark spaces like rings of a tree bark, by experiencing and observing environments from the perspective neither of an outsider nor an inhabitant, but one who is in between. My interest in everyday spaces came about as I became aware of the countless regulations that influence the making and administering of urban spaces, and it further developed as a reflection on systems that affect the formation of environments. In the manner of a sociologist or an anthropologist, my work deals with contemporary issues that are entangled with the past and future, like the journey to finding the (non)monument of everyday life within surroundings one may never have closely observed or deeply considered. I seek to provide a new perspective to understanding the present— as if by drilling, I draw out memories that may have been forgotten by people, but still remembered by the land. By examining how lived environments have been constructed, I attempt through these series of works to trace back to the structures, ambitions, and desires that lie beneath, thereby containing my belief in art’s ability to act as a critical agent in our lives.

Website Ji Eun Kim