Jaeyong Kim
김재용
Information
“The act of making art for me has much to do with my struggle and desire for the home. I often feel caught in between different places, primarily Korea and the United States, and I find it difficult to define what home is, because I am always moving. Wherever I go, I am present there. Home for me has become a verb: not stable and sensitive. Snails were intriguing to me because they are constantly carrying a shell, a form of architecture, their bodily home.”
The above quote clarifies the reoccurring theme of snails in artist Jae Yong Kim’s work. Kim makes the comparison of snails to humans in that like snails, humans are constantly moving from place to place looking for their next goal or adventure.
Kim was born in 1973 in South Korea. He spent time in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia before returning to South Korea where he spent a large amount of his childhood. He eventually traveled to the United States where he received a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Ceramics and Sculpture at the University of Hartford. Afterwards, he went to Cranbrook Academy of Art where he received his Masters of Fine Art in Ceramics. His artwork has led him to places all over America from New York City to Tampa to San Diego and places oversees as well, like Japan.
This constant movement again symbolizes not only Kim’s artwork but his life as well. The snails continual moving show ones struggle, growth, and overall journey to whatever makes them successful in their mind, regardless of what society expects from them. Kim states, “ Because we live in an incredibly fast paced culture that encourage and require people to have confidence and strength, there is seldom any room for failure and doubt, even though these are essential elements in life and absolutely necessary for growth. I desire to find a form of release and emancipation from these pressures by making the snail the subject of my work.”
While snail sculptures are his most recognizable work it isn’t his only work. Kim works on exaggerated animal figurines as well as jewelry in collaboration with jeweler Sally Sohn. His most recent exhibit is “Donut Craze” which consists of hundreds of colorized ceramic donuts in an organized display. The Philadelphia Art Alliance proclaims the exhibit “explores issues of consumption, globalism, mass production, and pleasure through the lens of the humble glazed donut.”
“예술을 한다는 것은 저에게는 제 투쟁과 집을 향한 욕구와 밀접한 연관이 있습니다. 저는 한국과 미국 두 나라에 갇혀있는 느낌이 종종 드는데, 제가 계속해서 이사를 하기 때문에 ‘집’ 이라는 개념을 정의 내리기가 힘들다는 생각이 듭니다. 어디에 가던지 저는 그곳에 존재합니다. 집 이라는 단어는 저에게는 형용사 같은 존재인데, 안정적이지 않고 감정적이라는 단어입니다. 어쩌면 그래서 달팽이가 저에게 더 흥미로운 존재였을 지도 모릅니다. 달팽이는 항상 껍데기를 지니고 다니는데, 이것은 곧 건축물의 한 형태이며 그들의 신체적 집이기 때문입니다”
위의 인용구는 작가 김재용의 순환 주제가 달팽이 임을 확인시켜 준다. 작가는 달팽이와 인간 모두 꾸준히 한 곳에서 다른 곳으로 이동하며 다음 목표와 모험을 찾아가고 있다는 점에서 닮았다고 생각한다.
김재용은 1973년 한국에서 태어나서, 쿠웨이트와 사우디 아라비아에서 시간을 조금 보낸 후 다시 한국에 돌아와 대부분의 어린 시절을 이 곳에서 보냈다. 그는 미국으로 유학을 가게 되어 Hartford 대학교에서 도자기 공예 및 조각 학사 학위를 받는다. 이후 Cranbrook 예술학교에서 도자기 공예 석사학위를 받은 그는 작업을 하며 뉴욕, 탬파, 샌디에이고 등 미국뿐만 아니라 일본 같은 해외에도 발길을 돌린다.
꾸준히 이사하는 것은 곧 작가의 작품뿐만 아니라 그의 삶까지 상징적으로 묘사한다. 달팽이의 지속적인 움직임은 개인의 투쟁, 성장 그리고 그들이 생각하는, 사회상과는 상관없는 성공으로의 발길을 묘사한다. 작가는 “우리가 굉장히 빠른 템포의 문화에 살고 있기 때문에, 우리는 항상 어느 정도의 기대치에 부응하며 살아야 하고 그러려면 자신감과 기운이 있어야 합니다. 하지만 이는 동시에 실패 혹은 의구심이 설 자리를 좁히는데, 이 실패와 의구심 이야말로 성장의 원동력이자 삶의 본질적인 요소입니다. 저는 달팽이를 주제로 삼음으로써 이런 압박으로부터의 어떠한 형태의 표출과 해방을 찾고 싶습니다.”
달팽이 조각들이 가장 유명한 작품인 건 맞지만, 그렇다고 그의 유일한 작품인 건 아니다. 작가는 과장된 동물 조각상들과 Sally Sohn 이라는 보석 세공인과의 콜라보를 통해 보석 예술에도 참여를 한 이력이 있다. 그의 가장 최근 전시는 “Donut Craze” 로, 수 백 개의 색칠된 도자기 도넛이 조직적으로 전시되어있는 예술작품이었다. 필라델피아 예술 연합에서는 이 전시를 “소비문화, 세계화, 대량 생산의 문제를 논하고 겸손한 윤기의 도넛을 통해 쾌락을 표현하는 전시” 이라고 표현했다.
profile
BORN
•Seoul, South Korea 1973
EDUCATION
•2001 Cranbrook Academy of Art - Bloomfield Hills, MI
•MFA, Ceramics
•1998Hartford Art School, University of Hartford - West Hartford, CT
•BFA, Ceramics & Sculpture
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
•2017 “I Love Donut” Gallery by the Harbour, Harbour City, HK,
•2016 “Can't Stop Thinking About....Donuts”, The Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum, MI
•2016 “Donuts Room ”, Lyons Wier Gallery, New York, NY
•2015 “Lusting After Donuts”, The Dennos Museum Center, Traverse City, MI
•2014 “Donut Rush”, Lyons Wier Gallery, New York, NY
•2014 “I Love Donuts ”, Hunterdon Art Museum, NJ
•2013 “Donut Fields”; Waterfall Gallery & Mansion, - New York, NY
•2012 “Lust of Donuts”, Blank Space Gallery, - New York, NY
•2004 “Snailing”; New Century Artists Gallery, - New York, NY
•2003 “New Work”; Visual Research Gallery, - New haven, CT
• 1999 “Momo On Wall”; New Space Gallery, Manchester Community College - Manchester, CT
•1999 “Recent Work”; Gallery in the Wood, Wood Memorial Library - South Windsor, CT
•1998 “Just Momo”; The University Gallery, University of Bridgeport - Bridgeport, CT
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
•2016 “Group Show” , The Miniature Museum of Contemporary Art, Amsterdam
•2015 “Art Miami” With Lyons Wier, Miami, FL
•2015 “Group Show” , Philadelphia Art Alliance, PA
•2015 “Fermented Souls”, Kate Shin gallery and Waterfall Mansion, New York, NY
•2015 “Market Art + Design”, Lyons Wier Gallery, Bridgehampton, NY
•2015 “Beyond the Morning Calm”, Lillstreet Art Center Gallery, Chicago
•2015 “Heritage and Diversity”, Hanyang University Museum, Seoul Korea
•2015 “Spring 2015 Group Show”, Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts, Binghampton, NY
•2015 “Glazed and Diffuse”, Ferrin Contemporary at Independent Art Projects on the MASS MoCA campus, MA
•2015 “Art Fair Tokyo 2015”, Eugene Gallery, Negishi Taito-ku, Tokyo
•2015 “Palm Springs Fine Art Fair”, Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts, Palm Springs, CA
•2015 “Immersion: Becoming You”, KateShin Gallery, New York, NY
•2015 “SWEET as ONE”, AllRightsReserved Ltd, Chengdu, China
•2014 “Art Palm Beach”, Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts, Palm Beach, FL
•2014 “Art Miami”, Lyons Wier Gallery, Miami, FL
•2014 “Aqua Art Miami”, Victori Contemporary, Miami, FL
•2014 “Art Southampton” Sponder Gallery, Southampton, NY
•2014 “Double Mirror” American University Museum, Washington, DC
•2014 “SALON3.2014” Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts, Binghamton, NY
•2014 “Shiseido & Clé de Peau Beauté Art Show” - Waterfall Gallery & Mansion, New York, NY
•2014 “Art Palm Beach” - Anthony Brunelli Fine Arts, Palm Beach,FL
•2013 “Houston Fine Art Fair” - Kips Gallery, Houston, TX
•2013 “Korean International Art Fair” - Eugene Gallery, Seoul, Korea
•2013 “Ode to summer”- Waterfall Gallery & Mansion, - New York, NY
•2013 “East and West Hunterdon exhibition”, Hunterdon art Museum, NJ
•2012 “Brand New”, Eugene Gallery, Seoul, Korea
•2013 “With Clay With friendship With World 2012”, Exhibition with six Universities, Online
•2012 “Montclair State University Art & Design Faculty Exhibition”, George Segal Gallery, Montclair, NJ
• 2012 “Scope Art Fair Miami ”, Blank Space Gallery -Miami, FL
•2012 “2012 Yegam Art Market”, Yegam Art, Queens, NYC
•2011 “BLANK SPACE Group Show”, Blank Space, NYC
•2011 “13th Tokyo-New York ”, Group Show, Nippon Gallery, NYC
•2010 “Goldfarb Retrospective”, The Silpe Gallery, West Hartford, CT
•2010 “White” Group Show, Meltem Birey Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
•2010 “2010 W Show”, Group Exhibitions from six Universities, Online
•2010 “Group Show”, Meltem Birey Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
•2009 “With Clay With friendship With World”, Exhibition with Five Universities, Online
•2009 “The Day after Tomorrow” Sweetwater Center for the Arts, Sewickley, PA
•2009 “The LEAP Award finalists Exhibition” Society for Contemporary Craft, Pittsburgh, PA
•2008 “East & West Clay Works Exhibition 2008” Mashiko Museum of Ceramic Art- Mashiko, Japan
•2008 “Size is Relative” The Silpe Gallery - West Hartford, CT
•2007 “Dreams in Clay”, George Siegel Gallery, Montclair State University - Montclair, NJ
•2006 “East & West Clay Works” Korean Craft Promotion Foundation Gallery, Seoul, Korea
•2006 “Living in Between time”, Group Show by Stain Wash, Elga Wimmer PCC, NYC
•2005 “Yearning”, Group Show by Stain Wash, Elga Wimmer PCC, NYC
•2005 “Eight Korean Artists”, Group Show, FGS Gallery Englewood, NJ
•2005 “Slide Slam”, Group Slide Show, Real Art Ways, Hartford, CT
•2004 “FireWorks”, Group Show by East & West Clay Works, Space World Gallery, LIC, NY
•2004 “Alums” Group Show by Hartford Art School Alums, Philip Alan Gallery, New York, NY
•2003 “Face to Face”, National Juried Competition, The Stage Gallery, Merrick, NY
•2003 “Generations: Impending Lineage”, Invited show, Art and Industry Gallery, San Diego, CA
•2003 “Young Talent”; National Juried Competition, Washington Art Association- Washington Deport, C
ATTENDED WORKSHOPS + RESIDENCIES
•2004 Summer Residency, Greenwich House Pottery – New York, NY
•2000 Summer Sun-Ku Yhe, Ceramic Sculptor; Alfred University - Alfred, NY
•1998 Robert Hudson and Richard Shaw, Ceramic Sculptor; Addison Gallery of American Art - Andover, MA
•1996 Denise Pelletier and Raymon Elozua, Ceramic Sculptor; Hartford Art School - West Hartford, CT
•1995 Summer Dan Anderson, Linda Christianson, John Rohlfing, Brad Wiseman; Brad Wiseman Studio - Hamden, ME
AWARDS
•1999 Juror Choice Award, Craft Forms `99; Wayne Art Center - Wayne, PA
Juror: Alex Karros, Myra Mimlitch Gray, Sandra Brownlee
•1998 First Prize, Wood Memorial Biennial; Gallery in the Wood - South Windsor, CT
Juror: Susan Cross, Curator, Guggenheim Museu
•1998 Best of Show Award, Contemporary Vision `98; The University Gallery - Bridgeport, CT
Juror: Ivan Karp, Owner, O.K. Harris Gallery
•1998 Estelle Hartman Sculpture Award; University of Hartford - Hartford, CT
PRESS
•2014 Jae Yong Kim Interview “Ceramics Genius”, Kamara Williams, Twelv Magazine
•2012 “Lust for Donuts: Laughing at Our Vices”, Daniel Larkin, Hyperallergic
•2006 Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK) or Japan Broadcasting Corporation’s News program
Korean Broadcasting Station (KBS)’s Cultural programming
•Dec 2004 “East and West- Fire Works” , Staff, The Segye Times
•Dec 2004 “Exploratory experiment in clay and fire”, Ok kee Kim, The Segye Times
•Mar 1999 “Artist Finds His Muse in His Sheltie, Momo”, Alex Cabal, The Hartford Courant
•Feb 1999 “The Rent”; Hartford Artist Interview, Channel 3 WFSB
•Jan 1999 “Man’s Best Friend, Art and Inspiration”, Susan Campbell, The Hartford Courant
•Nov 1998 “Artist’s Dog is Subject Sculpture Exhibit”, Staff, Journal Inquirer
•Feb 1998 “Exhibit Introspective and Charming”, Amanda Kell, Informer