More about Na Kim

Atelier Statement

Although I received my training based on the principals of the 19th century French Academy, including the study of Old Masters, landscapes, figure painting and the direct observation of nature and can do representational work, I have felt more compelled towards abstracting images in news media including print, the internet, computers, electronic photography and pop culture.

I have done thousands of studies of the human figure, innumerable landscapes and multitudes of drawings based on nature. At the same time I have also taken hundreds of photographs, which led to my involvement with photos taken with the electron microscope. I began with producing series of drawings based on electronic photography. From these initial studies I painted my first large format oils on wooden doors, exploring and expanding upon the studies that I had done involving photo-electronic images.

It is from these beginnings that I have been continuing my work. I paint in a series of paintings, usually working on from three to four paintings at a time. The initial idea behind these works still hold a strong fascination for me and continue to provide me with boundless inspiration. I am also influenced by international travel and interacting with different cultures and habitats. The work I produce is all about color, form and things that appear to be simple on the surface having a much larger and much more complex reality.

About Na Kim

Na Kim is a graphic designer based in Seoul and Berlin. After studying product design and graphic design in Korea, Kim participated in Werkplaats Typografie in the Netherlands. Kim is currently running the collective platform, Table Union in Berlin. Na Kim’s design practice as a system engages without putting limits on the field of graphic design. Kim is taking a methodology to collect objects and events found in everyday life and rearrange them into new order and rules, and ultimately expand design literacy. Besides many other projects, she was responsible for the concept and design of GRAPHIC magazine from 2009 till 2011 and has initiated series of projects based on her monograph, SET since 2015.

Awards & Distinctions

Posey Foundation Fellow
Helena Rubenstein Fellow
Vinalhaven Fellow
Parsons School of Design Institutional Scholar
Drew University Institutional Scholar
Member of the International Association for Visual Artists
Member New York Artists Equity Association
Member College Arts Association
Member of the Organization for Independent Artists

Exhibitions

Bottomless Bag (2020)
Black and White (2019)
Red, Yellow, Blue (2017)
SET (2015)
Choice Specimen (2014)
Found Abstracts (2011)
Fragile (2006)

Atelier Tags

art, furniture, funky flowers, chairs, abstract