▲ Artist Bosun Kim

Painter Saeon Bosun Kim has been busy this year, taking over as the new president of the Korea International Art Association. Last year, she held a publication party for her poetry collection, “Let’s Live,” and a solo exhibition, “Separately and Together,” at the Gyeongin Museum of Art in Insadong, and had a solo exhibition at the Paris Art Festival in France. She said “My goal is to become an artist who puts his or her heart and soul into the work and leaves behind masterpieces. I am honored to be appointed as the president of the association, which has been working on the international sensibility of all works and supporting Korean artists to enter the global market. I will do my best to make the association an art organization that can reach out to the world as well as Korea.”

The hub of the American West! 

Successful LA exhibition

The organization aims to promote forgotten works of Korean culture to the world. With Kim’s appointment, the organization is expected to continue its activities closer to its goal, as she has been active in exhibiting rare works at home and abroad. An example of this was the exhibition of contemporary artworks at the Park View Gallery in Los Angeles in May. The exhibition, which featured Kim and her students Min Young-ae and Lee Seung-yeon, was well-received.

Kim said “It was very meaningful for me to be able to showcase a series of Korean contemporary artworks in Los Angeles. We were happy to participate as exhibitors to send a special message to art lovers in the U.S. and the Korean diaspora.” Lee has been painting consistently, with a lineup that has won awards in numerous domestic competitions, while Min’s “Sunflowers Embracing the Sun” series has been well received.

K-Contents on the rise

Kim’s towering holographic lineup

When Korean artists exhibit abroad, it is very helpful for the development of the Korean art scene. Not only does it raise the international profile of the Korean art scene, but it also allows Korean artists to develop their work so that it can be recognized globally.

Kim is one of the most active artists on the K-contents scene. She received high praise for her collaborative holographic work this year and debuted her first holographic work at last year’s association’s invitational exhibition, “Private Records, Aesthetic Miracle Energy. It has become one of her most treasured materials, giving off a variety of colors when illuminated or not illuminated depending on the angle from which you look at it. She said “Personally, I hope to show a lot of new works that incorporate some stonework, but with a rich blend of other techniques. I was very happy to participate in various exhibitions in the first half of the year and show off the charm of abstraction. It was also very rewarding to share new experiences with my students. I introduced the holographic technique while searching for what I could do for the people suffering from the earthquake in Turkuye. The series of national and international exhibitions have been a personal honor, but most of all I wanted the light emitted by the holograms to give people hope.”

A little bit of hope like rainbow

She said “By incorporating holograms, you can feel the mystery of rainbow colors depending on the lighting, direction, and angle of view. The works on display in Japan were created to depict a ray of hope while remembering the painful feelings of those affected by the earthquake in Turkuye. I hope to convey a little bit of rainbow hope through these works. One collector looked at the holographic piece for a long time and said that it reminded him a lot of Chagall, and I was very grateful and touched. I get a lot of feedback about the warmth of my work. Some people have even asked me to add a fairytale feel to it, so I’m going to try that. I want my work to be warm and comforting to people.” Kim plans to exhibit in China this September, at the Incheon Asia Art Show in November, and release her second book of poetry around March of next year.