South Korea’s largest year-end art fair, Seoul Art Show 2025, took place from December 24 to 28 at Hall A of COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul.
Among the participating artists, painter Kim Jeomhee joined the fair in collaboration with Gallery Park 3, engaging directly with visitors and sharing her artistic vision.
At this year’s art show, Kim presented a tightly curated body of work that closely resembled a solo exhibition.
Through this focused presentation, she translated her artistic world into a visual language that felt accessible and inviting to a wide audience.
The core of Kim Jeomhee’s painting practice begins with the idea of communication. The works she exhibited take the form of cups or paint containers—objects that symbolize everyday conversation.
Just as people often open up over a cup of coffee, Kim uses familiar, ordinary forms to visualize moments of relaxed and honest dialogue.
She describes her approach as “pushing communication forward, as if pouring it out.” Rather than addressing grand social systems or overt divisions within society, her paintings focus on small, intimate exchanges in daily life—casual greetings between neighbors or simple conversations that may seem insignificant but are deeply meaningful.
Kim believes these ordinary moments of connection are precisely what contemporary society needs most.
Her works are created in acrylic on canvas and formally carry elements of Pop Art.
However, Kim resists defining her practice within a specific genre. Instead, she prefers her images to remain open, allowing viewers to engage comfortably and interpret them in their own way.
Indeed, depending on the viewer’s perspective, her forms may appear as cups, abstract objects, or even fragments of faces—inviting imagination and multiple readings.
Born in 1965, Kim demonstrated a strong sensitivity to color from an early age and naturally began studying art with encouragement from her parents. Having worked consistently for many years, she currently operates independently, without exclusive representation by a single gallery.
In 2023, she held an invitational exhibition in Daegu, where her works sold immediately upon opening, marking a meaningful milestone in her career.
Kim hopes audiences do not approach art as something overly difficult. “Just as music is enjoyed with the ears, painting is meant to be seen and felt with the eyes,” she says, emphasizing intuition over theory.
By encountering art frequently and without pressure, she believes it can naturally become part of everyday life.
While she does not yet have concrete plans for international exhibitions or global promotion, Kim expressed a desire to continue exhibiting more actively in Seoul for the time being.
Seoul Art Show 2025 served as an important opportunity for her to connect with new audiences and reaffirm that her work can resonate with a broader public.
Rather than delivering bold or dramatic statements, Kim Jeomhee’s paintings pursue quiet, sincere communication.
At this year’s Seoul Art Show, her works gently reminded viewers of a simple yet essential truth: art is ultimately something to be seen and felt.
