Heryun Kim Korea, b. 1964
Heryun Kim initially majored in German Language and Literature at Seoul National University but transitioned to art theory, believing images to be a more primal and powerful means of communication. After earning a master’s degree in art theory, she moved to Germany to study painting at the Berlin University of the Arts (UdK), where she obtained both a bachelor's and a master’s degree. She began her artistic career with her first solo exhibition in 1996 and later earned a Ph.D. in the Science of Art from the Technical University of Berlin (TU Berlin) in 1998.
Kim freely integrates ink—an Eastern medium—and oil paint—a Western medium—transcending conventional boundaries to develop a liberated visual language. For her, ink lines embody emotion and contemplation through meditative repetition, reflecting inner discipline and spiritual depth. This approach is also evident in her <Sounds of Silence> series, inspired by the profound vitality of nature she experienced in her Berlin forest studio. Rather than focusing on representational accuracy, she explores multi-layered chromatic effects, emphasizing materiality and dynamic textures through repetitive brushstrokes. She visualizes the unseen elements of nature—sky, wind, clouds—transforming them into an organic flow of energy. In doing so, she perceives the forest as a vast space encompassing existence, sensation, and the passage of time.
Her expressionistic colors and intuitive brushstrokes serve as a language that harmonizes the human psyche with nature, encouraging sensory immersion and existential reflection. Extending beyond visual representation into performative experience, her work invites viewers to engage with a profound inner resonance.
