featured artists
east of memory, west of vision
Spread K-Heritage through the pigments of Hunkyu Kim.
Having studied traditional East Asian painting in South Korea, Hunkyu Kim moved to London in 2015 to study at the Royal College of Art (RCA). It was there that he encountered European contemporary practices that opened new pathways for his work.
Soon after graduating in 2017, Hunkyu was awarded the prestigious Chadwell Award. At a moment when his future as an artist felt uncertain, the award offered essential studio space and grant funding for an entire year. Its co-founders also provided mentorship and emotional support, enabling him to anchor his practice in the UK going forward. With this foundation, he quickly gained visibility, presenting at Frieze and subsequently appearing at major international art fairs, including Art Basel. Over the past decade, he has overcome challenges with resilience, propelled by the commitment of collectors, philanthropists, and industry leaders who so fervently and compassionately endorsed his vision.
Much of Hunkyu’s inspiration stems from local museums and the artifacts housed within them. His solo exhibition Enemy of my Enemy is my Enemy at High Art in December 2023 featured fourteen paintings rooted in motifs drawn from the Natural History Museum. In another landmark piece, Into the Purple; Art Must be Flat (2024), presented at Frieze London with Perrotin Gallery, he captured impressions of Tower Hill’s architecture, depicting the rhythms of place to critical acclaim.
At the heart of Hunkyu’s practice lies a devotion to craft. He paints with mineral pigments on silk, a method deeply rooted in East Asian Buddhist and traditional color painting. The process is painstaking: dyeing the silk, preparing its surface with glue, and layering pigments with fine brushes. In his studio, this arduous yet meditative labor becomes a site of reflection, a contemplative space in which to grapple with forgotten memories, the irreversibility of the past, and the many hopes he carries for what is still to come.
Hunkyu’s recent works have highlighted the marriage between heritage and reinvention, reinterpreting centuries-old techniques through a contemporary, intercultural lens. Each of these works transforms complex cycles of joy and sorrow, pain and healing, translating powerful emotions into a dialogue that has resonated with local audiences and established for him a distinctive place alongside London’s creative elite.
