4482-2024 K-Women: Celebrating Korean Female Artists

Celebrating Korean Female Artists

4 4 8 2 [ S A S A PA R I ]

K-WOMEN Celebrating Korean Female Artists 한국 여성 작가들의 이야기

K-WOMEN Celebrating Korean Female Artists 한국 여성 작가들의 이야기

THE 11TH EXHIBITION S I N C E T H E 4 4 8 2 [ S A S A PA R I ] ’ S I N C E P T I O N 22 NOVEMBER 2024 - 8 MARCH 2025 KINGSTON MUSEUM

CONTENTS HISTORY

_6

PREFACE

_8

THE KINGSTON COLLECTION

_ 10

A STORY OF MOVING

_ 12

Min Kim

_ 14

Soobin Lee

_ 16

Yula Kim

_ 18

Mi-Young Choi

_ 20

Insuk Kwon

_ 22

Soo Hyun Lee

_ 24

Suyoung Park

_ 26

WHO AM I

_ 28

Yeonjoo Cho

_ 30

Dina Jin Bae

_ 32

Eunjung Seo Feleppa

_ 34

Nayoung Jeong

_ 36

ENDLESS JOURNEY

_ 40

Betty Kim

_ 42

Jeongyeon Kim

_ 46

Sunnu Rebecca Choi

_ 48

Jiyoen Ryu

_ 50

Ellen Warner

_ 52

Soon Yul Kang

_ 54

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

_ 58

HISTORY 2007

2008

2010

2011

2012

Title

Title

Title

Title

Title

The Open Studio

Exhibition of emerging Korean artists in London

Korean contemporary artists in London

‘Rhizophere: Directions in Motion’

Map the Korea <Mapping Korean contemporary art in British Terrain>

Location

Date

Date

Date

Date

King’s Park Studio, 152-178 Kingston Road, New Malden, KT3 3ST

16 - 19 October 2008

25 - 28 February 2010

24 - 27 February 2011

23 - 26 February 2012

Location

Location

Location

Location

Participating artists 10

Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, London SE1 9PH

Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, London SE1 9PH

Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, London SE1 9PH

Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, London SE1 9PH

Title

Participating artists

Participating artists

Participating artists

Participating artists

40

53

54

64

Date 28 - 30 June 2007

Korean contemporary artists in London

Date 10 - 15 October 2007

Location King’s Park Studio, 152-178 Kingston Road, New Malden, KT3 3ST

Participating artists

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19

2018

2019

2020

Title

Title

Title

Title

Symposium: A banquet of Korean contemporary art

Buttrtfly Effect

The Other Side of the Moon

[Ten] Hope

Date

Date

Date

Date

27 February - 2 March 2014

3 - 6 May 2018

28 - 31 March 2019

19 - 24 October 2022

Location

Location

Location

Location

Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, London SE1 9PH

Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, London SE1 9PH

Bargehouse, Oxo Tower Wharf, London SE1 9PH

Gallery @ oxo Oxo Tower Wharf, London SE1 9PH

Participating artists

Participating artists

Participating artists

Participating artists

38

54

43

8

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2014

PREFACE Welcome to K-Women: A Journey of Identity and Belonging exhibition.

4482 [SASAPARI], a figure made by combining the international calling codes of the UK (44) and South Korea (82), is the name adopted by a collective group of Korean Contemporary Artists. Since the group’s first exhibition in 2007, as an open studio, 4482 has been a platform of opportunities for over 300 Korean artists working in the UK and has showcased the contemporary arts of Korea.

In collaboration with Kingston Museum, Korean art group 4482 [SASAPARI] presents an exhibition showcasing inspirational artworks by 17 Korean women artists in Kingston, home of the largest Korean community in Europe.

This special exhibition offers an insight into these artists’ diverse experiences of self-discovery.

Through a diverse range of mediums—ceramics, sculptures, photographs, videos, and paintings—these talented artists share their personal narratives and societal observations. Their works delve into themes of cultural dissonance, the search for belonging, and the resilience of the human spirit. As we navigate the exhibition, we encounter the artists’ emotional landscapes and witness their unique perspectives on the world.

The exhibition is divided into three sections, each exploring a pivotal stage of cultural adaptation. Additionally, a special section dedicated to Kingston women offers a local perspective on the themes of identity, belonging,

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and migration.

As a female artist, Soo Hyun Lee shared that “Being a female artist means she can use her artwork to speak about her experiences as a woman, some of which require greater awareness.”

Similarly, Yeonjoo Cho feels that being a female artist presents more career challenges. The glass ceiling, malecentric social norms, and the balance between a career and motherhood make her artistic journey more difficult.

However, she believes that being a female artist has made her more resilient, patient, and hardworking. Nayoung Jeong also pointed out that for her, the female body represents both the tangible and intangible aspects of femininity, encapsulating strength, resilience, and the capacity for creation.

Despite the challenges they face, these artists’ resilience and dedication to their craft are inspiring. This exhibition unveils the profound beauty and complexity of the human condition.

We invite you to engage with the exhibition and explore the rich tapestry of experiences and emotions that these artists have woven into their work.

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Curator, Geesun Hahn

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Flawless Crystal, 1949 Dora Gordine (1906-1991) Bronze © Dorich House Museum, Kingston University

K[ingston]-Women:

The Kingston Collection 킹스턴 컬렉션 This exhibition of artworks by contemporary Korean female artists represents another chapter in Kingston Museum’s commitment to shining a light on female artistic endeavour.

Providing context to their work, this opening section of the display looks more broadly at the rich history of female creativity within the borough over the past two centuries.

The examples range from the amateur, but accomplished, watercolours of Augusta Arbuthnot in the 19th century to the innovative potters, Denise Wren and her daughter Rosemary Wren, and Zelda Glanville (another skilful, locally based potter and art teacher whose clay practice was inspired in turn by the celebrated Nigerian female ceramicist, Ladi Kwali), as well as the Estonian émigré sculptor, Dora Gordine of Dorich House fame, in the 20th. Collectively, they speak to the artists’ individual talents and cultural influences while demonstrating the uniqueness of their perspective as female practitioners.

Rounding off this section are three standout paintings by female contributors to Kingston Museum’s Brill Award, including Leo Duff, Eve Roberts and Cecilia Liu (an international student from China) - further testament to the individuality of the female eye and diversity

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of cultural inspiration at work in the borough.

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K[orean]-Women:

A Story of Moving

새로운 곳으로의 발걸음 Ever wonder what it is like to move to a whole new country? Many Korean women artists experienced once comforting routines and customs of their homeland, replaced by a sense of alienation and stark isolation amid the bustling energy of the new environment when they moved to the UK or elsewhere. This transition triggered an identity crisis for some, causing them to question the very core of their being.

Through the works of the six artists displayed here, we witness a shared characteristic uprooted from their familiar cultural background mingled with a thrust into their vibrant yet disorienting new world. These artists express a sense of separation and nervous excitement, which they feel from the unfamiliar sights, sounds and social norms they encounter.

Relocation often heightens memories about the past. Some things are longed for, but others are better dismissed. Drifting further from the past may form a new sense of belonging.

In new surroundings, losing and finding oneself occurred at the same time. Bearing these

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agitating transitions, these Korean female artists begin their new journeys.

Min Kim www.minkim.studio @i.minkim 2024

2024

2018

2017

Solo Exhibition <Ambiguous Visions> Zanne Gallery Cheongju, South Korea

Min Kim (김민) is a photographer, who endeavours orbit around the human

Solo Exhibition <In Between> The Bhavan Gallery London, UK

ambiguity of everyday life encourages viewers to engage in profound self-

Solo Exhibition <Moments Passed in Ghana> H Contemporary Gallery Seongnam, South Korea BA Photography Kingston University London, UK

experience, striving to dismantle traditional viewpoints through the creation of enigmatic images. She is driven by the belief that capturing the inherent reflection and pose philosophical inquiries. The act of observing others and embarking on a journey of self-philosophising, questioning her identity, actions, and the emotions evoked by the gaze upon others, holds significant value in her creative process. Fundamentally, her approach involves observing subjects from a multitude of perspectives, fostering a desire for the viewers’ gaze to be diverse and impartial while immersing themselves in the artwork.

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Waterloo, 2023 Photography | 50.8 x 76.2 cm

Bankside, 2022 Photography | 50.8 x 76.2 cm

Previous Room, 2024 Photography | 50.8 x 40.6 cm

Old Gateway, 2024 Photography | 50.8 x 40.6 cm

Min’s photographic works concern the relationship

in an evolving world. In contrast, documenting her

between humanity and the built environment.

visits to ancestral spaces, Min focuses on heritage

Through this series, Min explores how individuals

and memory in ‘Previous Room’ and ‘Old Gateway’.

interact with urban and personal spaces,

Together, these four images bridge public and

symbolising adaptation and resilience in the

private realms, illustrating the multifaceted journey

face of change and displacement. ‘Waterloo’ and

of migration, settlement, and the shifting nature of

‘Bankside’ capture urban spaces, where prompt

identity.

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passersby to reflect on their identity and purpose

Soobin Lee www.soobinleeart.com @leesoobin_ceramics 2024

<Ceramic Art London> Kensington Olympia, London, UK

Soobin Lee (이수빈) is a ceramist, who deeply engaged with ceramics,

2024

<The Wind From The East> Eton College, Windsor, UK

unfold the artist’s anxieties and uncertainties. As a stranger, she seeks

2023

MA Ceramics and Glass Royal College of Art London, UK

faintly shining clear sky with a silver lining evoke both the worries of an

2019

her own future in the skies of London. The dense, dark clouds and the unplanned future and the hope beyond. The uncertainties and anxieties she encounters are not only the existential anxieties that prove human

MA Fine Arts Kookmin University Seoul, South Korea

existence but also the realistic issues of a young individual stepping out of her comfort zone to face a larger world as an artist.

The Layers 1, 2024 Stoneware, ceramics | 39(h) x 24(d) cm

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which serves as her research and creative field. Her works gently

The Layers 9, 2024 Stoneware, ceramics | 36(h) x 20(d) cm

Where am I now? What role do I play here?

all. The London’s sky - dense clouds with occasional silver

As an individual and artist, how do I navigate and understand

linings - symbolises her emotional journey, reflecting both

my emotions, and overcome my anxiety?

her worries about an uncertain future and the hope within.

​

Through ceramics, Soobin channels these emotions. She

After landing in London, Soobin’s world changed. A 14-hour

embraces her anxiety and nervousness as integral elements

flight made her a stranger, a minority in the bustling city. Yet,

to her identity, similar to clouds embodying calm while

the sky remained a constant, stretching above, embracing

holding storms within.

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The Layers 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 2024 Stoneware, ceramics | 28.5~41(h) x 18~27(d) cm each

Yula Kim www.yulastudio.com @yurajoanrobinakim MA Museum and Galleries in Education University College London London, UK

Yula Kim (김유라) is a painter. She uses her unique cultural background

2024

Winner of Communicating Time and Culture Science Museum, London, UK

Having lived in Asia (South Korea, China), Polynesia (Hawaii), Africa

2023

MA Contemporary Art Practice-Public Sphere Royal College of Art London, UK

2024

2023

<The Blue World Screening> Tate Modern Late London, UK

to show the artistic connections between human cultures and nature, especially through birds and their histories.

(Uganda), and Europe (The United Kingdom), Yula draws on her rich and varied experiences in her artwork. These diverse environments have shaped her perspective and inform the themes she explores in her art.

Yula’s inter-continental life has stimulated her ability to see the inherent aesthetics of nature, enlightened her gaze and helped her consider the significance of nature in individual lives, and society, as a whole. She offers a diverse viewpoint in her artwork as she describes the relationships between human desire, cultures and the natural environment.​​​​​

‘Starlings’ explores how humans shape nature to assert

human desires to control the natural world. Through Yula’s

control over aesthetics and intellectual spaces. Yula

work, she invites viewers to reflect on the tension between

juxtaposes natural and artificial elements in her painting.

human dominance and nature’s resilience, prompting

They illustrate how nature becomes a symbol of human

contemplation on the ethical implications of shaping and

colonisation, serving to showcase intellectual aesthetics.

preserving natural spaces.

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‘Starlings’ represent the uncertainty and complexity of

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Starlings, 2024 Oil, natural pigment and acrylic on canvas 40 x 50 cm

Mi-Young Choi www.youngkearton.com @youngkearton 2024

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2024

Solo Exhibition <Embrace> Soohoh Gallery Seongnam, South Korea

Mi-Young Choi (최미영) is a painter who draws abstract

Group Exhibition <BAF 2024> Sejong Museum of Art Seoul, South Korea

the subject shifts to the artist’s space, directly and indirectly

2023

Group Exhibition <British Painting 3> Bermondsey Project Space London, UK

2009

BA Fine Art : Studio Practice and Contemporary Critical Studies Goldsmiths, University of London London, UK

colours and shapes from familiar things with unfamiliar insight. Artist interest is close to aspects of our daily lives, reinterpreting the subject and expanding its meaning beyond a fixed framework.

For Mi-Young, painting is a journey of self-discovery and

by current events and history, Mi-Young’s work often

a tool for sharing her thoughts and emotions about who

incorporates ambiguity and loose metaphors, leaving room

she is. It allows her to reach beyond her physical location.

for broad interpretation. Titles of her work play a crucial

Mi-Young’s practice exists between the world and her inner

role in shaping the viewer’s understanding of her work. Her

self, often involving an anxious, questioning dialogue.

paintings explore the phenomenon of colour and paints, with

She resists and embraces change, consequently her

skies as a recurring motif intertwined with metaphorical

creative process evolves over a period of time. Inspired

elements like trees.

K-WOMEN 21 Night Garden 9 - Always Here, 2024 | Oil on linen | 37 x 47 cm

Insuk Kwon www.kwoninsuk.art @insuk_art 2024

Solo Exhibition <Two Strange Picnics> Lewisham Arthouse, London, UK

Insuk Kwon (권인숙) is an artist, who loves to create curious things. She is

2013

Solo Exhibition <Time of the Gypsies> KEPCO Art Centre Seoul, South Korea

our times. Almost all of the things shown in her still life are found in her

Solo Exhibition <Feels like Home> Gallery Seed Suwon, South Korea

and fliers. It reveals her complex feelings by expressing a disorderly

2011

2005

MFA Fine Arts Chungnam National University Daejeon, South Korea

interested in trivial objects that she faces everyday and how they represent surroundings. Sometimes a cross-section of this age that she see in the news appears in her work through collage of small copies of newspapers situation or even a battlefield. As a Korean artist based in London, fusion of those two cultures became one of her recurring themes. Insuk’s favourite film genre is black comedy and she hope her work is received as black comedies.

The style of ‘Tea Party V’ is more like still-life.

Insuk placed unrelated objects on the same table.This painting reflects Insuk’s expression of complex emotions.

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Tea Party V, 2024 Oil and acrylic on canvas | 120 x 100 cm

Afternoon Tea IV, V, VI, 2024 Mixed media on canvas | 20 x 50 cm each

Insuk enjoys the idea of the British tea party or afternoon tea but feels somewhat alienated by it. She does not feel she belongs to such a culture and tradition. Through her work, she highlights the contrast between traditional Korean features and the distinctly different British tea party, illustrating the

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cross-section of two very dissimilar cultures.

Soo Hyun Lee www.soohyunlee.art @todayisoohyun 2024

2024

2022

2022

MFA Fine Art Goldsmiths, University of London London, UK

Soo Hyun Lee (이수현) is a visual artist who works with painting, video

Selected Artist of <Ten Fingers Connected to the Heart> Mandy Zhang Art, London, UK

the social valued and belifs created in the world and how individuals relate

BFA Fine Art, School of Art and Design Korea University Seoul, South Korea BA Sociology, Department of Sociology Korea University Seoul, South Korea

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Daphne, 2021 Acrylic, watercolour, and pencil on paper 19 x 27.3 cm

installation, and performance. She is currently pursuing Master studies in MFA Fine Art, Goldsmiths, University of London. The Artist is interested in and react to those. The artist especially explores the social values and beliefs that are hard to define singularly, however significantly influencing an individual’s life, such as eternity, hope, shame, love and caring. Through her investigation, the artist questions how each people’s perspective and experience could differently define these kinds of values.

unwanted advances and, when pushed to the edge,

of discrimination, drawing parallels with the myth of

transformed into a tree as her final defence. Today,

Daphne. In 2019, while in Europe, Soo Hyun faced

many women face similar situations where they have no

discrimination, sexual harassment and threats. For

choice but to protect themselves. Through this series,

her, the pain of feeling helpless and being desensitised

Soo Hyun illustrates the link between Daphne’s plight

to violence was worse than the assaults themselves.

and the helplessness that many women experience

Daphne’s story struck Soo Hyun - she fled Apollo’s

when confronting violence and discrimination.

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Daphne, 2021 Watercolour on agyo coated silk 45.5 x 53 cm

The ‘Daphne’ series reflects Soo Hyun’s experiences

Suyoung Park www.hellosuyoung.com @gong_won01 2023

Group Exhibition <Facing Future> Fuse Box, Kingston, UK

Suyoung Park (박수영) is an artist and a performer who graduated with

2008

Group Exhibition <Seoul Metro Exhibition> Seoul Metro Gallery Seoul, South Korea

theme is expression works connecting from individual body histories. She

2006

Seoul Women’s Art Exhibition Prize <She, Women>, Seoul Gallery Seoul, South Korea

2006

MA Traditional Korean Art Chung-Ang University Seoul, South Korea

master’s degree in Traditional Korean Art in Chung-Ang University. Her main works not only that one modern dance styles but also all kind of dances of elements.

‘Heterogeneous Aesthetics,’ two disparate situations collide, creating a scenario where the audience can either extract a narrative or continue to observe the dissonance. She primarily uses movement and my drawings. The movement represents the struggle to adapt to new migrations and environments, attempting to become a part of the

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community but ultimately experiencing ongoing alienation, much like oil and water.

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K[orean]-Women:

Who Am I 나를 찾아서 The physical act of moving to a new place often leads to self-discovery. The external challenge of migration may develop into an opportunity to explore the inner self. This process involves navigating through complex emotions, which could sometimes be disorientating and confusing.

Artworks presented in this section illustrate four artists’ reflections on inner conflict and moments of doubt as they grapple with a sense of shifting self. Artistic representations of this experience often lean towards abstract expression, but for some, they become concrete visual traces. This journey of reflective practice deepens their awareness of self, interestingly often beyond geographical boundaries.

These Korean female artists search for their place in and between two cultures, blending their past and the present. Their quest for a unified sense of self continues as their

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fragmented identities begin to piece together.

Yeonjoo Cho www.yeonjoocho.com @yeonjoo_cho Two-Person Exhibition <Round Song> South Block Glasgow, UK

Yeonjoo Cho (조연주) is an artist and researcher based in Seoul, South

2023

PhD, Glasgow School of Art Glasgow, UK

cultures. Cho studied painting and art history at Ewha Womans University

2019

Solo Exhibition <Things between the Sun and the Moon> Cheongju Art Studio Cheongju, South Korea

2024

2017

Korea and Glasgow, United Kingdom. Centred on the tropes and ideas of ‘Oriental Painting’, her work explores the boundaries and intersections of and completed her interdisciplinary PhD research which employs contemporary art practice, art history, and postcolonial discourses as three key columns.

Solo Exhibition <Dream Journey> Art Space Seoro Seoul, South Korea

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Landscape without Land , 2022 Oil on canvas | 300 x 120 × 2 cm

culture. This painting is inspired by a famous traditional

living between South Korea and Scotland since 2017.

Korean painting on a folding screen, ‘The Sun, the Moon,

The painting depicts journeys and connections rather

and Five Peaks’, which has distinctive features, but in

than a fixed image of the land. Yeonjoo appreciates that

Yeonjoo’s painting, the mountain peaks are blurred,

the sky she sees in the UK differs from that of her loved

and trees float in space. By erasing the idea of a fixed

ones in Korea. This physical distance between the two

land, her painting emphasises the connection between

places represents her past and present selves. They

different places and the individuals who move within

are intricately connected beyond distance, borders and

them.

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‘Landscape without Land’ reflects Yeonjoo’s experience

Dina Jin Bae www.dinajinbae.com @dinajinbae 2024

MA Painting Royal College of Art, London, UK

Dina Jin Bae (디나진 배) is an artist with a development of over 200 K-beauty

2024

Group Exhibition <The Entranced Essence> RuptureXIBIT(+studio) London, UK

and hues. In her paintings and installations, she observe and question

Group Exhibition <Things That Matter> AMP Gallery London, UK

artificial and the natural, surface and depth, true-self and non-self. These

2024

2012

BA French Language and Literature Yonsei University Seoul, South Korea

cosmetics, demonstrating an understanding of colours, complexions the small gestures made in daily life using colour pigments, oil, wax, and expired makeup products. Her practice pushes against boundaries of the actions question the boundaries that exist within opposing elements of contemporary life.

In Dina’s painting, the two figures exist seemingly

subconscious routines. From that perspective, Dina

intertwined, yet in parallel and isolated spaces. This

seeks to artistically reinterpret a repetitive mundane

composition represents purposeless action and

ritual, such as the act of applying and removing

duality beyond mere ambiguity. Drawing upon the

makeup. Each figure in her painting embodies oneself

inspiration from Buddhist philosophy, this duality aims

and others, ultimately symbolising all of human beings.

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to reconsider the various aspects of our conscious and

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Weight of Unspoken Things, 2024 Skincare patches, pigments, oil and wax on linen mounted on wood 30 x 30 cm

Eunjung Seo Feleppa www.saatchiart.com/eunjungseo @wild.hokshi 2023

2023

Solo Exhibition <In Your Eyes> D Contemporary Art London, UK

Eunjung Seo Feleppa (서은정) is a painter. She studied Fine Art at Hong-

Group Exhibition <ING Discerning Eye> Mall Galleries London, UK

Pfo in Korea, and at Highgate Fine Art, Sutton House, Kingston Museum,

2014

PGCE, IOE UCL, London, UK

1996

BA Fine Art Hong-Ik University Seoul, South Korea

UK and internationally, such as at the Museum of Modern Art and Gallery the Han Collection and the Korean Cultural Centre in London. Eunjung is a member of ArtCan, and was the recipient of the 2022 ArtCan Prize, winning a solo exhibition at D Contemporary, London, 2023. Her artworks have been selected for the ING Discerning Eye art competition at the Mall Galleries in 2022 and 2024.

According to Alain de Botton and John Armstrong, one of art’s important functions is reminding us what’s important to us. Here, Enjung painted a happy memory from her childhood, a summer holiday at the sea. Her face conveys calm, happiness, a desire for life, and hope for the future.

Wearing Mum’s Sunglasses, 2022 Oil on fabric stretched on a canvas frame 20.3 x 25.4 cm

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Ik University, Seoul and has exhibited in numerous galleries both in the

Eunjung painted this self-portrait from a photo taken in her early twenties, who had youthful, piercing eyes and tightly closed lips.

Eunjung initially painted this painting as a realistic self-portrait, but at a later stage, she introduced intense random colours to the subject, forming abstract painterly patches. Perhaps she wanted to express her vibrant youth and energy from the past in this portrait.

Eunjung, 2023 Oil on linen canvas | 28 x 35 cm

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Emergence, 2024 Oil on canvas | 25.4 x 30.5 cm

Nayoung Jeong www.nayoungjeong.com @nayoungjeong 2024

2024

2020

2014

Group Exhibition <Jeonnam-Gyeongnam Young Artists Exchange Exhibition: 3pm> Jeonnam Museum of Art Gwangyang, South Korea Solo Exhibition <Fully Owned> Craft on the Hill Seoul, South Korea Ph.D Fine Art Research Slade School of Fine Art, UCL London, UK MFA Ceramics Rhode Island School of Design Providence, RI, USA

Nayoung Jeong (정나영) is an artist and a researcher who established a distinct artistic practice that explores the boundaries of cultural displacement, focusing on the experiences of unstable identity, and cultural isolation. Her work predominantly employs clay as the primary medium, using its transformative properties to create performance and installation art. By emphasizing the process in her work, she encourages viewers to evoke their own memories and engage in self-reflection, ultimately fostering a sense of familiarity with the unfamiliar. Through her art, Jeong seeks to explore new methods of interaction among the body, materials, and the audience, transcending the material limitations of the medium to convey broader social and cultural meanings. This exploration is a central theme in her ongoing artistic inquiry.

‘The Thing for Something’ captures Nayoung’s raw, transparent state, preserving the emotions of that moment purely for her. Infusing materials with memories, she constantly contemplates emotional connections. Nayoung encapsulates fragments meant solely for herself within small frames. Her delicate, transparent fragments - ceramic tiles of complete thoughts and memories of cultural displacement - are bound together with red thread.

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The Thing for Something, 2024 Ceramics, wood, thread | 21(w) x 26(h) x 7(d) cm

The Right to Destroy Them, 2022 Video based on performance | 13 mins 1 sec YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/dEV9_IQMLOo?si=y2ujIPLrRsUYbgtI

Perpetually unsettled, Nayoung drifts from place to place,

version of herself allows her to confront the labour of her

absorbing and leaving behind a multitude of emotions

emotions and recognise it as her unequivocal right.

self. Nayoung heightens her sensory awareness to create

Nayoung’s artwork reawakens layers of embedded

psychological scenarios as artworks, accompanied by the

emotions and memories through sound and action, sharing

metaphorical sound of her clay-casted body breaking. This

psychological states and feelings within the process of

continuous process of creating and deconstructing another

creating and destroying the casted bodies.

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that accumulate and ultimately dismantle her former

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Catch or Throw, 2020 Photos based on the performance with mixed clay, printed on organic cotton linen (2nd edition) 100 x 150 cm each

‘Catch or Throw’ blends performance and materiality, challenging viewers to discern whether they are witnessing a dramatic scenario or a real act of violence. During the live performance, Nayoung stands against a wall as clay is thrown at her for an hour. She tries to catch the clay, which accumulates on her body and surroundings. As the performance unfolds, the dwindling clay supply raises questions: is the artist a passive subject being targeted, or is she controlling the act by metaphorically catching and throwing the material? The ambiguity invites K-WOMEN 39

reflection on action and perception.

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K[orean]-Women:

Endless Journey 삶의 여정 The search for a place where we truly belong is an endless journey. While we live in the present, we often linger on the past and try to comprehend the unknowable future.

The final part of this exhibition presents five artists’ ongoing voyages to find their connections to the world around them. An intimate relationship with loved ones often plays an important role in this discovery. The artists weave together the threads of their past and present cultures, forming a richer, more nuanced tapestry of self. Their artworks offer a glimpse into their evolving identity as they accept the harmonious coexistence of their homeland’s heritage and newly adopted culture.

After all, the core of this endless journey is belongingness. We cheer these Korean women artists for their efforts to embrace the complexity of human experience and find a place

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where they belong within it.

Betty Kim www.bettykimillust.com @bettykimillust 2022

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2022

4482 Group Exhibition <Ten Hope> Gallery @Oxo London, UK

Betty Kim (베티 김) is an Illustrator & Animator who explores the narratives

Radical Creativity Degree Show Middlesex University London, UK

sense of rawness and honesty in her work by conveying emotions through

2022

BA Illustration Fine Art Research Middlesex University London, UK

2017

Foundation Diploma in Art & Design Kingston University London, UK

and stories of people; dealing with themes such as identity and human psychology through animations and illustrations. She likes to portray a the use of colour and capturing a sense of movement through mark-making and rough pencil-like brush strokes.

Pain and suffering profoundly shape our identities,

its challenges, this process is inherently beautiful. As

especially during displacement and the journey of

Herman Hesse reflected, “Who would be born must

self-discovery. We carry our past when we enter new

first destroy a world.” Through this series of paintings,

realities, leading to friction and transformation. Letting

Betty captures moments of revelation, like light at

go of the old to embrace the new - whether in space,

dawn, reflecting the beauty and difficulty of rebirth and

time or relationships - is essential for growth. Despite

transformation.

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Past and Present (Decision to Leave), 2024 Printing on wood | 60 x 40 cm

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Line of Sight (The Marriage Story), 2024 Printing on wood | 60 x 40 cm

Childish Dreams (Squid Game), 2024 Printing on wood | 60 x 40 cm

Stay (Interstellar), 2024 Printing on wood | 60 x 40 cm

Minari Song (Minari), 2024 Printing on wood | 60 x 40 cm

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The Last Supper (Parasite), 2024 Printing on wood | 60 x 40 cm

Jeongyeon Kim www.jeongyeonkim.com @bumbu17 2024

2023

2020

MAF Fine Art Goldsmiths, University of London London, UK

Jeongyeon Kim (김정연) is an artist, explores family relationships and

Group Exhibition <Like and Subscribe> SEAGER Gallery London, UK

Asian households and personal autobiographical experiences, her work

BA Fine Art Sejong University Seoul, South Korea

domestic spaces through sculpture, moving images, and installations.

Drawing from the archetype of the heteronormative nuclear family in East investigates intimacy, privacy, and the emotional layers embedded in our living environments.

This plaster casting reenacting the scene of locking the door reflects Jeongyeon’s childhood memories. It also implies the concept of setting boundaries.

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The Lock, 2024 Plaster | 10 x 15 cm

‘Famly Tree’ may look similar to the ‘Connect 4 game’,

image. The two-sideness of this interactive artwork

consisting of 20 green discs with male hand cutouts and

represents the co-exitence of building and obstructing.

20 purple discs with silhouette images of figures. Each

Through her participatory work, Jeongyeon demonstrates

time a disc is inserted in a slot, it generates a random

the randomness of the process of forming a family.

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Family Tree, 2024 3D scupture with MDF | Top part 57.7 × 58 cm, Tray 34.8 × 59.8 cm

Sunnu Rebecca Choi www.bysunnu.com @by_sunnu 2024

2024

2024

2023

Summer Show, Highly Commended Award Royal Birmingham Society of Artists Birmingham, UK

Sunnu Rebecca Choi (최선우) is an award-winning Korean/Canadian

Gwen May Award Winner for 2022 Royal Society of Painter-Printamakers London, UK

adults, and she is always open to new and exciting projects. She has won

75th Annual Exhibition Chelsea Art Society London, UK Summer Exhibition Royal Academy of Art London, UK

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Home 4, 2024 Etching, aquatint & chine collé | 21.8 x 29.2 cm

illustrator & printmaker. She specialises in illustrations for editorials and fiction & non-fiction books for children, mid-grades, young adults, and or been shortlisted for multiple awards, including the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, World Illustration Awards, 3x3, Communication Arts Illustration Awards and more. Her works were selected to be exhibited at various exhibitions, including the Royal Academy of Art Summer Exhibition and The Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers Exhibition.

Home 1, 2023 Etching, aquatint & chine collé | 19 x 19 cm

Sunnu’s work draws from her experiences as a 1.5-generation immigrant. Having moved from South Korea to Canada at the age of 14 and lived across three continents, she explores themes of belonging and the meaning of ‘home’. Her art captures moments of transition, reflecting the complexities of her ‘in-between identity’.

Sunnu hopes to create pieces that encourage viewers to engage with their own emotions and perceptions.

While her aesthetic often contrasts with brighter themes, her work offers a cathartic experience, inspiring hope and optimism amid the challenges of navigating identity and place.

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In Between 2, 2023 Etching, aquatint & chine collé | 16.7 x 23.3 cm

Jiyeon Ryu www.jiyeonryu.co.uk @wonder_ryu 2024

2024

2024

2023

Group Exhibition <The Regenerative Power of War in the Arts> Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK

Jiyeon Ryu (류지연) is an interdisciplinary artist and educated in South

Group Exhibition <Fragments for the Future> Hangar Gallery London, UK

wants to highlight the resilience of human beings through the chaos and

MRes Art and Humanities Royal College of Art London, UK Grad Diploma Fine Art Chelsea College of Art & Design, UAL London, UK

selfhood, delving into how we infuse significance into our existence. Ryu conflicted times. With a scientific background shaping her analytical perspective, Ryu employs moving images to convey perceptions, sculptures to articulate symbols, and paintings to manifest aesthetic sensibilities. This convergence of mediums engages audiences on multiple levels, offering diverse entry points into exploring the profound and multifaceted nature of human meaning and expression.

This painting captures the essence of human existence

The monster embodies our primal instincts and

through three compelling figures. The man symbolises

passions, highlighting our untamed side. Together, these

our pursuit of knowledge and purpose, reflecting the

elements create a profound narrative that presents the

quest for meaning. The lion represents our social nature,

complexity, contradiction and beauty of a human life.

illustrating the intricate relationships we form.

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Korea and Sweden. She focuses in exploring the existential meaning of

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Baby Girl, Lion and a Monster, 2023 Oil on canvas | 100 x 100 x 4 cm

Ellen Warner @theellenwarner

2024

2023

2023

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2023

Currently Pursuing a BA Fine Art Slade School of Fine Art, UCL London, UK

Ellen Warner is an artist, currently studying at the Slade School of Fine

Group Exhibition <Objects of Care> Backhaus Projects Berlin, Germany

forming memories, and everyday rituals such as the preparation of Korean

Group Exhibition <I SAID FRUIT SALAD [!!!]> Hypha Studios London, UK Group Exhibition <What Do We Become> Barbican London, UK

Art. She explores points of rupture and connection that arise in navigating mixed heritage. Referencing family histories, locations linked to identityfood, Ellen examines the ongoing practice of identity construction rooted in intangible knowledge, while also considering the effect of environment on our experiences. Distorted, surreal imagery evokes the tension between “homeland” and diasporic cultures, and mirrors her experience of existing between the two.

‘Han Ah Reum (one arm full of something)’, the video

symbol of care. The film documents Ellen’s journey of

artwork, references H Mart, a Korean supermarket, and

connecting with her Korean heritage, from visiting Korea

explores the impact of consumption on cultural identity.

for the first time to learning the ritual of making Kimchi,

Using a text-to-speech transcript of her search of history

a traditional staple. Camera roll footage from Korea is

and found audio, the work delves into how Ellen ground

projected onto a painting, with changing light revealing

her mixed-heritage identity in food, an interpersonal

hidden details.

Han Ah Reum (One Arm Full of Groceries), 2024 Single-channel film | 9 mins

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YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/Ny4LVw5jKnw?si=WavnvFpj0cp1g6oF

Soon Yul Kang www.soonyulkang.com @soonyulkang 2022

2021

20182019

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1997

Duo Exhibition <Cut, Copy, Paste> Korean Cultural Centre Washington DC, USA

Soonyul Kang (강순열) is an artist who concernes with time, healing, and

RA Summer Exhibition Royal Academy of Arts London, UK

by the Zen understanding of simplicity, stillness, repetition, and rebirth

meditation and is influenced by traditional Korean cultural elements. She uses calligraphy and paper collage as her medium and is also influenced and by the Eastern philosophy of Yin-Yang which teaches the balance and harmony of nature and of the universe. According to the theory of Yin-

Solo Exhibition <d i a l o g u e> Menuhin Hall Cobham, UK

Yang, all things are said to have two opposing but complementary and cooperative aspects: dark and bright, shadow and light, black and white, invisible and visible, emptying and filling, square and circle, etc.

MA Textile (Visual Arts) Goldsmiths, University of London London, UK

‘Rite of Passage’ explores the

The circular patterns drawn with

repetitive acts involved in the

ashes represent regeneration,

ritual. Soon Yul’s work began

while her hand movements

with handwritten letters that

signify healing. This action is

she received from someone

influenced by her mother’s home

in the past. She re-wrote them

remedy practice. In Korean

and burnt both the originals and

culture, a mother often rubs

her copies. She then created

a child’s tummy in a circular

hand-drawn pieces on recycled

motion while singing a healing

handmade paper using the

chant when a child has a upset

ashes, symbolising rebirth.

stomach.

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Rite of Passage, 1997 Installation: Handmade recycled paper, ashes Dimensions variable

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Korean shamanistic culture of praying is the source of Soon

motivated by this culture. She handwrote the Korean word

Yul’s inspiration. Korean mothers used to pray their wishes

사랑(sarang) which means LOVE, repeating like chanting

for good fortunes for their children in front of a bowl of

or prayers. She then cut them into very tiny pieces and

water. Their prayers were often repeated like chanting. They

reassemble to form the piece. Through this ritualistic

believed that their wishes would be granted if they recited

process, Soon Yul contemplates ‘Love’ or ‘Mother’ which

their prayers for 100 days. Soon Yul’s work ‘Invocation’ was

represents a prayer and a special meaning that we all share.

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Invocation, 2015 Collage on 100 spheres| Handwriting on Korean mulberry paper, ink, cypress wood Each piece: 45mm diameter sphere

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 4482 [SASAPARI]

KINGSTON MUSEUM

Managing Director

Sujin Shin

Manager

Chris Foord

Curator

Geesun Hahn

Curators

Seoyoung Kim

Assistant Curator

Hyeryoung Jun

Design

STORY iN DESIGN

Business Advisor

HaEun Nam

Business Assistant

Chai Hyeong Han

Ruth Brimacombe Events Promotion

Emma Humphries Rhys Paul

Merchandise

Judy de Saram Austin Barlow

Social Media

Micha Nestor

This exhibition is a collaborative project between Kingston Museum and 4482 [SASAPARI].

We are thankful for this opportunity to present the inspiring artworks of the participating female artists. We extend our sincere gratitude to the sponsors of this exhibition. Their invaluable support has made this exhibition possible.

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