Calvin Kim
Calvin Kim is a painter based in NYC. He holds an M.F.A. in Visual Arts from Columbia University and a joint B.F.A. and B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University. Kim recently taught Drawing as an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University, and is a current member at the EFA Studios’ (NYC) program. He creates vibrant and magical worlds from his personal experiences with delicate brush strokes. His recent exhibitions include Slight of Hand (mepaintsme, 2023), What's New In Still Life, Portrait, and Landscape, curated by John Yau (LaiSun Keane, Boston, MA,2023), Destination is Close (EFA Studios, NYC, 2023), Genius Loci curated by José Chavez-Verduzco (Charles Moffett, NYC, 2023), and Stand-outs: Selections from the Columbia MFA Program (Fredric Snitzer, Miami, 2023).
Kim’s work poetically explores the cycles of love, loss, and rebirth and the emotional ambiguity of life. He expresses his personal narratives using playful and soft elements as a means to introduce more complex and serious subject matters. Kim believes that nothing is too small or insignificant - he looks at small objects found in our daily lives as bearers of relationships, memory and meaning.
For Sarang: Conversation on Love, Calvin Kim presents 6 works of 99 Cat series for the first time, as well as another work depicting a conversation between two cats (while one is shedding sparkly tears!). His mysterious figures and unexpected elements draw the viewers to look closely into the paintings.
Calvin Kim is a painter based in NYC. He holds an M.F.A. in Visual Arts from Columbia University and a joint B.F.A. and B.A. in Psychology from Cornell University. Kim recently taught Drawing as an adjunct assistant professor at Columbia University, and is a current member at the EFA Studios’ (NYC) program. He creates vibrant and magical worlds from his personal experiences with delicate brush strokes. His recent exhibitions include Slight of Hand (mepaintsme, 2023), What's New In Still Life, Portrait, and Landscape, curated by John Yau (LaiSun Keane, Boston, MA,2023), Destination is Close (EFA Studios, NYC, 2023), Genius Loci curated by José Chavez-Verduzco (Charles Moffett, NYC, 2023), and Stand-outs: Selections from the Columbia MFA Program (Fredric Snitzer, Miami, 2023).
Kim’s work poetically explores the cycles of love, loss, and rebirth and the emotional ambiguity of life. He expresses his personal narratives using playful and soft elements as a means to introduce more complex and serious subject matters. Kim believes that nothing is too small or insignificant - he looks at small objects found in our daily lives as bearers of relationships, memory and meaning.
For Sarang: Conversation on Love, Calvin Kim presents 6 works of 99 Cat series for the first time, as well as another work depicting a conversation between two cats (while one is shedding sparkly tears!). His mysterious figures and unexpected elements draw the viewers to look closely into the paintings.
Hojung Kim
Hojung Kim received her B.F.A. degree in Ceramics from KyungHee University in 2012, M.F.A. degree in Industrial Ceramics Design from Hongik University, Seoul, South Korea in 2016, and M.A. degree in Ceramics and Glass from Royal College of Arts, London, UK in 2019. She is currently teaching Ceramics at Kyunghee University in Seoul, Korea, as an adjunct professor. Kim uses ceramics to explore the relationship between colors, community, and material investigation. She has exhibited at Hangaram Art Museum (Seoul, 2023), 776 Space (NYC, 2022), Print Bakery (Seoul, 2022), Gallery Jo Yana (Marseill, 2021) and Make Hauser & Wirth (Somerset, 2020). Kim received an award at the Cheongju International Craft Competition Biennale in 2021 and was invited to exhibit at the Gyeonggi International Ceramics Biennale (COBALT BLUE: DYED FOR THE WORLD OF ART) the same year.
Hojung Kim utilizes ceramics to delve into the relationship among colors, society, and materials. She explores the boundless potential of color and the vast range of emotions it may evoke - for instance, serene and relaxing but also intense and stimulating for the color blue. Kim experiments with different forms, materials, and production processes in her work, representing the diversity of our world through the touch of her hands, color and clay.
For Sarang: Conversation on Love, Hojung Kim brings seeds of love to root in New York City, specially designed to be touched by the audience. By forming and baking the ceramic pieces with love, Kim wishes them to root and yield the fruit of love.
Hojung Kim received her B.F.A. degree in Ceramics from KyungHee University in 2012, M.F.A. degree in Industrial Ceramics Design from Hongik University, Seoul, South Korea in 2016, and M.A. degree in Ceramics and Glass from Royal College of Arts, London, UK in 2019. She is currently teaching Ceramics at Kyunghee University in Seoul, Korea, as an adjunct professor. Kim uses ceramics to explore the relationship between colors, community, and material investigation. She has exhibited at Hangaram Art Museum (Seoul, 2023), 776 Space (NYC, 2022), Print Bakery (Seoul, 2022), Gallery Jo Yana (Marseill, 2021) and Make Hauser & Wirth (Somerset, 2020). Kim received an award at the Cheongju International Craft Competition Biennale in 2021 and was invited to exhibit at the Gyeonggi International Ceramics Biennale (COBALT BLUE: DYED FOR THE WORLD OF ART) the same year.
Hojung Kim utilizes ceramics to delve into the relationship among colors, society, and materials. She explores the boundless potential of color and the vast range of emotions it may evoke - for instance, serene and relaxing but also intense and stimulating for the color blue. Kim experiments with different forms, materials, and production processes in her work, representing the diversity of our world through the touch of her hands, color and clay.
For Sarang: Conversation on Love, Hojung Kim brings seeds of love to root in New York City, specially designed to be touched by the audience. By forming and baking the ceramic pieces with love, Kim wishes them to root and yield the fruit of love.
Kwangmin Lee
Kwangmin Lee is a Korean American actor and a filmmaker based in New York City. Lee's inspiration for his productions stem from his experiences not only as an immigrant in America, but also as a US Army Veteran. He seeks to break through in the film world by contributing his personal experiences and my artistic sensibilities. Lee’s film, which he wrote and directed based on his personal memoir, Tricycle (2022), is the recipient of the National Board of Review Student Grant 2022. He solidified his career in the film industry as Sunrise/Sunset, a movie he starred in, which premiered at BAM Festival. Infusing humor and warmth into his work, he sheds light on various societal issues.
For Sarang: Conversation on Love, Lee presents familial love through his short film Tricycle. The film portrays a young immigrant boy from Korea struggling to juggle different identities and relationships as well as a father’s unconditional love through sacrifice.
Kwangmin Lee is a Korean American actor and a filmmaker based in New York City. Lee's inspiration for his productions stem from his experiences not only as an immigrant in America, but also as a US Army Veteran. He seeks to break through in the film world by contributing his personal experiences and my artistic sensibilities. Lee’s film, which he wrote and directed based on his personal memoir, Tricycle (2022), is the recipient of the National Board of Review Student Grant 2022. He solidified his career in the film industry as Sunrise/Sunset, a movie he starred in, which premiered at BAM Festival. Infusing humor and warmth into his work, he sheds light on various societal issues.
For Sarang: Conversation on Love, Lee presents familial love through his short film Tricycle. The film portrays a young immigrant boy from Korea struggling to juggle different identities and relationships as well as a father’s unconditional love through sacrifice.
Simon Ko
Simon Ko received his degrees from the Cooper Union School of Art (BFA) and Yale School of Art (MFA). His most notable solo exhibitions include Sparks (Nathalie Karg Gallery, NYC, 2023) and Soul to Soul (Pipe Gallery, Seoul, 2021), and group exhibitions include Enfolding Bloom (Gallery Dengyun, Shanghai, 2021), Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (Nathalie Karg Gallery, NYC, 2020), and Bottari (55 Hester Street, NYC, 2019). He completed his residency at the Vermont Studio Center (Johnson VT) in January 2012.
Simon Ko examines human relationships and a range of natural emotions felt within them in his paintings such as elation, infatuation, longing, belonging, jealousy, and love. Many of his relatable subjects reflect the scenes from his own experiences and of the people around him, telling intimate and personal stories. Through the intentional coarseness of the surface of his paintings, Ko communicates to us that no relationship is perfect. His work also explores the changes and effects a relationship brings to different parties involved.
For Sarang: Conversation on Love, Ko presents three paintings that evoke a surge of emotions between two individuals. His dreamlike usage of deep and bright colors sparks imagination as well as conveying sarang and warmth through the intimate compositions.
Simon Ko received his degrees from the Cooper Union School of Art (BFA) and Yale School of Art (MFA). His most notable solo exhibitions include Sparks (Nathalie Karg Gallery, NYC, 2023) and Soul to Soul (Pipe Gallery, Seoul, 2021), and group exhibitions include Enfolding Bloom (Gallery Dengyun, Shanghai, 2021), Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (Nathalie Karg Gallery, NYC, 2020), and Bottari (55 Hester Street, NYC, 2019). He completed his residency at the Vermont Studio Center (Johnson VT) in January 2012.
Simon Ko examines human relationships and a range of natural emotions felt within them in his paintings such as elation, infatuation, longing, belonging, jealousy, and love. Many of his relatable subjects reflect the scenes from his own experiences and of the people around him, telling intimate and personal stories. Through the intentional coarseness of the surface of his paintings, Ko communicates to us that no relationship is perfect. His work also explores the changes and effects a relationship brings to different parties involved.
For Sarang: Conversation on Love, Ko presents three paintings that evoke a surge of emotions between two individuals. His dreamlike usage of deep and bright colors sparks imagination as well as conveying sarang and warmth through the intimate compositions.
Sarah Lee
Sarah Lee received her B.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011 and her M.F.A. from the same institution in 2017. She has been based in New York City since she completed a M.F.A. program at Seoul National University. Her solo exhibitions were held at Albertz Benda (NYC), PMAM (London), and Bill Brady Gallery (Los Angeles), and group exhibitions included Pond Society (Shanghai), 1969 Gallery (NYC), Margot Samel (NYC), and Christie’s AAPI Awareness Charity Exhibition. She was also chosen for the Art for Change project and the New York Billboard Project at Artsy. Sarah Lee reimagines the environment that surrounds her by depicting her idea of a landscape rather than reality. She is fascinated by the nighttime, when she usually works on her paintings, for it comforts her and allows her to be vulnerable as a human. Lee probes the theme of loneliness in her work, evoking the sentiment in her various dreamlike landscapes of the night sky, moon, and the forest.
For Sarang: Conversation on Love, Lee presents a wintery landscape painting with an imaginative perspective. The viewers are immersed in the deep body of water covered with pure snow under dry, thin trees. The large rainbow in the background communicates hope and positivity beyond the forest.
Sarah Lee received her B.F.A. from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011 and her M.F.A. from the same institution in 2017. She has been based in New York City since she completed a M.F.A. program at Seoul National University. Her solo exhibitions were held at Albertz Benda (NYC), PMAM (London), and Bill Brady Gallery (Los Angeles), and group exhibitions included Pond Society (Shanghai), 1969 Gallery (NYC), Margot Samel (NYC), and Christie’s AAPI Awareness Charity Exhibition. She was also chosen for the Art for Change project and the New York Billboard Project at Artsy. Sarah Lee reimagines the environment that surrounds her by depicting her idea of a landscape rather than reality. She is fascinated by the nighttime, when she usually works on her paintings, for it comforts her and allows her to be vulnerable as a human. Lee probes the theme of loneliness in her work, evoking the sentiment in her various dreamlike landscapes of the night sky, moon, and the forest.
For Sarang: Conversation on Love, Lee presents a wintery landscape painting with an imaginative perspective. The viewers are immersed in the deep body of water covered with pure snow under dry, thin trees. The large rainbow in the background communicates hope and positivity beyond the forest.
Nanan Kang
Nanan Kang is an artist based in Seoul. Her most notable exhibitions were held at Seoul Auction, Seojung Art, 31 Gallery (NYC), World Trade Center (Hong Kong), Korean Cultural Center (England), and Seoul Arts Center (Seoul).
Kang started out as a window painter and became widely known as a painter with her iconic Long Long Time Flower series. Her work consists of cut-outs of her paintings of flowers and objects inspired by Korean folk motifs. Her Long Long Time Flower series originates from her own tradition of gifting flowers to friends on birthdays. Kang’s everlasting flowers reflect her wish to preserve the sentiments experienced while exchanging flowers and spreading love through her work.
Her new works for Sarang: Conversation on Love include New York-themed Long Long Time Flowers that involve an imagery of New York City’s most iconic buildings and the big apple, meaning to continue spreading the love of her flowers in a New York way.
Nanan Kang is an artist based in Seoul. Her most notable exhibitions were held at Seoul Auction, Seojung Art, 31 Gallery (NYC), World Trade Center (Hong Kong), Korean Cultural Center (England), and Seoul Arts Center (Seoul).
Kang started out as a window painter and became widely known as a painter with her iconic Long Long Time Flower series. Her work consists of cut-outs of her paintings of flowers and objects inspired by Korean folk motifs. Her Long Long Time Flower series originates from her own tradition of gifting flowers to friends on birthdays. Kang’s everlasting flowers reflect her wish to preserve the sentiments experienced while exchanging flowers and spreading love through her work.
Her new works for Sarang: Conversation on Love include New York-themed Long Long Time Flowers that involve an imagery of New York City’s most iconic buildings and the big apple, meaning to continue spreading the love of her flowers in a New York way.
Yujin Ju
Yujin Ju holds a B.A. in Printmaking from Hongik University (2013). Her solo exhibitions were at Galerie ERD (Seoul) and Punto Blu (Seoul), and she was a part of group exhibitions at Brooklyn Schoolhouse Art Collective (NYC), llon Gallery (NYC), Bjarmanes (Iceland), Gana Art Center (Seoul), and Line, Printmaking and Communication, Seoul Museum of Art (Seoul). She completed artist residencies at Alexandr Iskin (Berlin), Studio Etienne Chambaud (Paris), and Nes Artist Residency (Iceland). Ju believes that everyone has a scene that lives within them and therefore explores and visualizes scenes that are internalized by people.
Yujin Ju’s work romanticizes the human experience and emotions. She weaves delicate stories on the canvas inspired by the colors and silhouettes found in nature. Ju emphasizes the use of color in her work, with the intention of evoking powerful feelings in the viewers. She delivers euphoric feelings of love and paradise through the use of bold, contrasting colors. The ambiguous facial expressions of Ju’s human subject matters invite the viewers to reflect their own experiences in interpreting her pieces.
In Sarang: Conversation on Love, Ju showcases poetic landscapes that provide a contemplative moment. Some of the compositions suggest those of Sansuhwa, a traditional Korean painting style, presenting the artist’s identity inspired by both global and Korean artistic influences.
Yujin Ju holds a B.A. in Printmaking from Hongik University (2013). Her solo exhibitions were at Galerie ERD (Seoul) and Punto Blu (Seoul), and she was a part of group exhibitions at Brooklyn Schoolhouse Art Collective (NYC), llon Gallery (NYC), Bjarmanes (Iceland), Gana Art Center (Seoul), and Line, Printmaking and Communication, Seoul Museum of Art (Seoul). She completed artist residencies at Alexandr Iskin (Berlin), Studio Etienne Chambaud (Paris), and Nes Artist Residency (Iceland). Ju believes that everyone has a scene that lives within them and therefore explores and visualizes scenes that are internalized by people.
Yujin Ju’s work romanticizes the human experience and emotions. She weaves delicate stories on the canvas inspired by the colors and silhouettes found in nature. Ju emphasizes the use of color in her work, with the intention of evoking powerful feelings in the viewers. She delivers euphoric feelings of love and paradise through the use of bold, contrasting colors. The ambiguous facial expressions of Ju’s human subject matters invite the viewers to reflect their own experiences in interpreting her pieces.
In Sarang: Conversation on Love, Ju showcases poetic landscapes that provide a contemplative moment. Some of the compositions suggest those of Sansuhwa, a traditional Korean painting style, presenting the artist’s identity inspired by both global and Korean artistic influences.
love one another, as I have loved you