Hanna Kim

A painting is traditionally given a front and a back. For the artist, the back—though invisible to her—represents another layer of emotion, distorted yet significant. To express this hidden side, Kim works in reverse, cutting and scraping the canvas, bringing the back to the forefront. Throughout this process, she continuously cuts and glues, repurposing the pieces that fall away. These fragments are not merely emotional residue; they embody aspects of her personality and become integral materials in her work. On the canvas, where torn surfaces and disjointed fragments meet, they are stitched together to reveal new emotional dimensions. By blending forceful brushstrokes with distinct sculptural techniques, her art gives form to unfamiliar images—creations that have never existed before. Through this assemblage of jagged cuts, sharp edges, fallen and hardened viscous masses, she imbues these elements with a new, powerful presence. As the artist states, “Even a scoop of ice cream slice is still ice cream.” Through her work, Kim discovers the remnants of existence left behind by abstract concepts, materializing them through the activity of her body (the act of creative process). She majored in Western painting at Kyungwon National University and furthered her studies in fine art at Central Saint Martins and Chelsea College of Art in the UK. Since her first solo exhibition at Dongtan Art Space in 2015, she has been actively engaged in her artistic practices.