“I don’t take photographs. I absorb nature directly, without filters, and later paint it from memory.”

An invitation exhibition by Western painter Kim Hyang-hee was held from October 1 to 6 at Maru Art Center (35-6, Insadong-gil).

 This is how artist Kim Hyang-hee describes the starting point of her practice. Images of coral reefs seen while scuba diving, seasonal landscapes, and colors encountered while traveling are stored in her mind and later retrieved in the studio. Rather than sketching scenes on-site like an urban sketcher, she reconstructs them through layers of memory and emotion.

 Kim’s use of color stands in the lineage of Impressionism. Having studied abroad in the 1980s, she was deeply influenced by European Impressionists such as Monet and Degas. 

Yet instead of pure brilliance, she values “the depth of middle tones and monochromes.” For this reason, she rejects the quick-drying acrylic medium in favor of oil paint, even though it requires far more time. 

“Acrylics dry fast but lack depth. Only oil paint allows color to resonate through accumulated layers of time,” she notes. 

Her recent solo exhibition, titled 〈Summer Story〉, was not simply about seasonal landscapes. “It embraced political changes in June, the interweaving of joy and sorrow, my mother’s illness, and the heat of working in the studio.”

 Thus, her seemingly bright and playful underwater scenes are imbued with social contexts and personal emotions. She is also unapologetically outspoken about politics. 

active in local Democratic Party initiatives, she insists that “artists are also part of society.” At the same time, she draws a clear line: “In my work, I want to convey brightness through abstractions of nature.” The roots of her artistic journey trace back to childhood. 

Having lost her father at the age of three, she found solace in drawing alone.

 Although she had little access to private art lessons, she won multiple school competitions, and in high school was recognized at the Hongik University art contest in Jeonju — a turning point in her decision to pursue art. 

From early training in design, she transitioned fully to painting, sustaining a lifelong commitment to her practice. 

On the art market, she speaks candidly. “Even works without strong artistic merit can sell out through networks or commercial strategies. That kind of artificial star making is a problem in Korean art.” 

Yet she has also sought to make her work more accessible: at the Bank Art Fair, she lowered her prices considerably. 

“At this stage, it’s less about stubbornness and more about reaching people.” 

For her, art is not simply a profession, but “a way of inscribing traces of life.” She reflects: “Artists should not think of painting as just making images. It’s about leaving your life on the canvas. Now in my sixties, I care less about ambition and more about expressing the emotions I have lived.”