Mountains on Their Minds

featured artists

Take in the invigorating beauty, energy, and folklore of the mountains with artists Beomjun Kim, Keun-Jung Kim and Hyun-ju Park.

beomjun kim

*In the Depths of the Mountains (2022). Oil on Canvas. 73 x 61cm*

While scaling the rugged contours of his mind, Korean artist Beomjun Kim applies, dries, and then partially erases paint in a free and performative fashion. In the process, his floating lines intersect undefined boundaries with a subtle tension, as if hiking and transcending the fluid borderlands between appearance and reality. In a quest to make sense of human existence, Beomjun’s works amalgamate imaginary sojourns and real-world wanderings in nature with a tactile materiality. Immersing in his ethereal terrains, one is able to rekindle memories of landscapes close to home, at the same time indulging in a burst of novel organic forms and infinite possibilities yet to unfold.

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In the Depths of the Mountains (2022). Oil on Canvas. 35 x 27cm.

In the Depths of the Mountains (2022). Oil on Canvas. 27 x 27cm.

In the Depths of the Mountains 2 (2022). Oil on Canvas. 27 x 27cm

In the Depths of the Mountains (2018). Oil on Canvas. 73 x 91cm.

keun-jung kim

*A Story of Ten Reflection (2020). Acrylic on Dyed Silk. 91 X 195.6cm.*

One day, Korean artist Keun-Jung Kim noticed a pile of small stones placed ambitiously at the foot of Inwang Mountain in Seoul. Despite the glaring prospect of collapse, she marveled at the way passers-by continued to reassemble these stones and co-construct a collage of hopes and dreams over time. Inspired onward, Keun-Jung roamed the mountains of Korea, imbibing the spirit of Mother Nature that magnetized her to the charms of traditional art and the organic motifs that have brought people together over the generations. As a creative, she is propelled by a burning desire to simplify and modernize the ancient Ten Longevity paintings in a way that motivates new audiences to share eternal aspirations and cherish a universal lust for life in harmony with the natural world.

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A Story of Ten Balance (2019). Acrylic on Dyed Silk. 53x46cm

A Story of Ten Flow (2022). Acrylic on Dyed Silk. 105x75cm.

A Story of Ten Chaos (2019). Acrylic on Dyed Silk. 112x162cm..jpeg

A Story of Ten Eden (2022). Acrylic on Dyed Silk. 91x117cm.

A Story of Ten Eden (2022). Acrylic on Dyed Silk. 91x117cm

hyun-ju park

Korean artist Hyun-ju Park is a virtuoso of both fine art and classical Korean studies, a trailblazer who has dedicated two decades to an unwavering exploration of the ancient landscapes that inhabit her native Korea. A sculptor of time, Hyun-ju employs the sumukhwa ink wash technique to distill the essence of nature onto her canvas and capture what poets have long described as the divine beauty of the rocks.

When young, Hyun-ju would often frequent the quaint mountain behind her countryside home and meander along its picturesque ridges after school. Back then, she admired the panoramic views across the seasons and gazed out at the ever-changing complexion of the fields, rivers, and islets beyond.

Nowadays, the beauty of Korea’s heavenly clearings inhabits Hyun-ju’s dreams, forever stimulating the wanderlust within. On some days, she cannot resist the urge to grab her backpack on a whim, hop on a train, and head out into nature under the cover of darkness. Upon reflection, her blank ink and soft pastels blend together like a symphony of light and dark, capturing the fluctuations of the breeze and the liquid silk cascades of white water as they descend from above.