Jeju Scenery Found in Thickets and Weeds... Solo Exhibition "Geomjil" by Artist Kim Nampyo

Until the 18th at Cheongdam-dong iF and Hori Art Space

Nam-pyo Kim 'Instant Landscape-Gumgil', A Portion in a whole#3, 185x317 cm (84 pieces of 25x25 cm), oil on plywood, 2020
Photo by iF

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] A wide-eyed owl spreads its wings and soars into the sky.

This powerful image is a work titled "Instant Landscape - Gumgil" by artist Kim Nampyo. Gumgil is a Jeju dialect term referring to the common weed vines found along roadsides or in thickets. Kim Nampyo likes the feeling of gumgil. It is free-spirited and rough.

Since 2018, Kim Nampyo has been traveling back and forth to Jeju Island preparing new works. Over the past year, he even set up a studio on Jeju and traveled around the island painting. He said that as questions about the essence of painting and what it means to be an artist arose, Jeju came to mind.

Kim Nampyo’s solo exhibition "Kim Nampyo’s Jeju Project Part 1 - Gumgil (검질)" is being held until the 18th at Gallery iF in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul, and Hori Art Space. Visitors can see about 30 new works expressing the emotions Kim gained from Jeju. These paintings convey the power of nature, featuring tigers, leopards, and zebras against the backdrop of Jeju’s rugged thickets.

While creating the new works, the artist changed not only the space but also his working method. He said, "It was the first time since a student plein air competition that I painted outdoors. At first, I felt overwhelmed, but on the other hand, I liked the emotions I felt after a long time."

Film director Min Byunghoon, a longtime friend of Kim Nampyo, collaborated on the Jeju project. Director Min, who settled in Jeju earlier, captured Kim painting on camera. A feature film titled "Phantom," featuring Kim’s process, will be released next year alongside the second part of Kim’s Jeju series exhibition.

Kim Nampyo was born in Seoul and majored in Western painting at Seoul National University’s College of Fine Arts for both undergraduate and graduate studies. He has held 18 solo exhibitions domestically and internationally and participated in over 50 art fairs worldwide.

Nam-pyo Kim 'Instant Landscape-Gumgil', 106x445 cm (68 pieces of 25x25 cm), oil on plywood, 2020
Photo by iF

4th Floor iF Lounge Exhibition View [Photo by iF]

3rd floor Horiart Space exhibition view [Photo by AIPE]

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.