Kim, joon

Kim Joon : Tattoo and Taboo

Beverly Hills, Calif., March 10, 2010—A fascination with tattoos lies at the core of Kim Joon's work. Following debut exhibitions in Hong Kong and New York, the Korean artist presents new work for his first solo show in Beverly Hills. Using three-dimensional computer graphics, Kim creates digital prints and videos of undulating nude bodies covered in ink. Supine figures are enveloped by bold logos and prints from luxury brands such as Ferragamo, Montblanc, and Vivienne Westwood forming a surreal landscape. Kim's tattoo imagery provokes questions about the impact of consumerism on society. The artist says, "I am interested in tattoos as a metaphor for hidden desire or a kind of compulsion engraved into human consciousness. Tattoos can reflect individual and collective reality or displaced desire."

Kim's exploration of tattoos stems from his experiences tattooing his peers while in the Korean military. In his earliest works, Kim grappled with the notion of tattoos as socially taboo in present-day Korean society. He created sculptures that mimicked tattooed portions of flesh. Using water-based markers, he embellished latex-coated sponges, creating vivid, anthropomorphic parts divorced from the human form.

The artist's recent work neatly overturns the negative connotations surrounding tattoos. In his hands, not only do tattoos reflect social habits and desires but they're also a vehicle for transforming the body into a highly aestheticized object. Using animation software, Kim renders three-dimensional bodies onto which he meticulously grafts photographs of human, animal, and artificially created skin. He then superimposes tattoos of colorful brand logos and patterns. The close-range photographs expose skin pores and pigmentation heightening the immediacy of ink entering flesh. Vibrantly colored, Kim's entangled tattooed figures are suggestive and sensual, fluid and erotically intimate.

Kim Joon was born in 1966 in Seoul, Korea, where he currently lives and works. He has exhibited his work at the Total Museum, Seoul, Korea; The National Museum of Contemporary Art, Kwachon, Korea; the National Taiwan Museum; Canvas International Art gallery, Amsterdam, and Gallery Artlink, Seoul, Korea.

김 준 (Kim joon )

1966년 서울태생 (1966 Born in seoul)

홍익대학교 미술대학 회화전공 졸업 (BA Painting, Hongik University, Seoul, Korea)

홍익대학원 대학원 회화전공 졸업 (MA Painting, Hongik University, Seoul,Korea)

現 공주대학교 카툰&애니메이션 학부 조교수(Kongju National Univ Dept.of Cartoon&Animation Professor)

홈페이지 : http://www.kimjoon.co.kr

이메일 : kimjoon@gmail.com

주소 : 서울시 서대문구 연희동 117-30

Solo show

2010 'Fragile' (sundaramtagore gallery,New York)
2010 'Fragile' (Art Link, seoul)
2010 'tattoo & taboo' (Sundaram Tagore Gallery, BEVERLY HILLS)
2009 'tattoo & taboo' (Sundaram tagore gallery, hong kong)
2009 'KIM JOON' (Sundaram tagore gallery, New york)
2008 'bird land' (sabina lee gallery,LA)
2008 'kim joon' (box art gallery,verona)
2008 'Duet et Party'(galeriebertin,paris,miami)
2007 'Stay'(Space 355,Tokyo)

2007 'Party' (Touch art,Heiri)

2006 'Duet' (Canvas International Art gallery,amsterdam)

2005 'Tattoo you' (Alexander Ochs Galleries Berlin )

2005 'Tattoo you' (walsh gallery, chicago)

2005 'Tattoo you' (savina musium.seoul))

2003 'Flesh park' (june & ttl zone)

2003 ‘Sauna bell’(ilju art house.seoul)

2000 ‘Make me smile!' (gallery uduck.seoul))

1999 ‘Fire' (total musium.seoul))

1998 ‘Hair show' (gallery sal.seoul))

1997 ‘Tattoo in my mind' (kumho mesium.seoul)

1995 ‘Tattoo' (gallery segae.seoul)

‘l love it!' (gallery yale.seoul)

1994 ‘l love it!' (gallery insa.seoul)

Selected Group Show

2010 MADE IN POP LAND (national musium contemparay art korea)
INSIDE OUT (Jenkins Johnson Gallery,San Francisco)
DAEGU PHOTO BIENNALE 2010 (art center,daegu)
INDAF2010-mobile art (incheon)
"Everytime When I Look Around" (Art Center,taiwan)
30th Anniversary Of The Young Korean Artist
(national musium of contemparay art korea, kuachun)
PRINTEMPS PERFUME (CENTRE DES ARTS,PARIS)
3D Grand Illusion (sabina musium,seoul)
2009 KOREAN EYE (saatchi gallery,london)
2009 KOREAN CONTEMPORARY PHOTO NOW (798space,Beijing)
THE DREAM OF DAVINCH (jeju musium of art,jeju)
MAGIC OF PHOTOGARAPHY (the musium of photography,seoul)
Come Join Us, Mr.Orwell (art center nabi, seoul,melbourne)
Here & Now (Sundaram tagore gallery, New york)
body speaks (touch art gallery,heiri)
CONDITIONS OF BEING-AS OF NOW ( 韩国文化院,Beijing)
From Younhee Dong (YHD,seoul)
2008 PARIS-PHOTO (keumsan gallery,paris)
pop&pop (seongnam art center, seongnam)
scope basel 08 (sun contemporery,basel)
Border of Virtuality - korean and chinese Media art now (HAN JI
YUN Contemparary Space,Beijing)
ART HK08 (keumsan gallery,hong kong)
photo...photo? (sun contemporery,seoul)
Being Now (gallery soheon,daegu)
world-beaters (gallery soheon,daegu)

2007 Asian art biennial (National taiwan museum,taiwan)

"OCULTOS" (Fundacion Canal, madrid)

Field of life (California state university, sacramento)
New asian waves (zkm/museum of contemporary art,karlsruh)

Text in body space (Seoul museum of art, seoul)

Giant in illusion (Sejong museum, seoul)

Intermediae-Minbak (Matadero Madrid, madrid)

Arco 2007 (Gallery Hyundai, madrid)

2006 PARIS PHOTO 2006 (Gallery Hyundai,Paris)

Made in Korea (Paris,Annecy)

Hybrid traend-INDIA & KOREA (Hangaram art museum,seoul)

Art & science (tsinghua university,Beijing)

spotlight 30 women (paper gallery,seoul)

Asia art now (ssamziespace, seoul)

softness (soma museum,seoul)

ISEA 2006 (South hall,San jose,U.S.A)

Art/37/Basel (Gallery Hyundai,Basel)

Contemporary asian art (Bonhams, London)

KunstRAI/Art Amsterdam(Amsterdam)

Endless Clone (Space ieum, at Beijing, China)

2005 Toronto International Art Fair, Toronto

ART COLOGNE 2005, (Koeln)

ART FORUM BERLIN, (Berlin)

ASIA:THE PLACE TO BE?’ (Alexander Ochs Galleries, Berlin)

Cosmo Cosmetic (Space C, Seoul)

Pop Pop Pop (Gana Art Gallery, Seoul)

2004 Love Virus, Art Center Nabi, cyworld Seoul

Gawngju Biennale 'minority', Gwangju

INKED, Walshy gallery, Chicago

Realing 15 years, Savina Museum, Seoul

2003 Relative Reality, Walshy Gallery, Chicago

Resfest Digital Film Festival, Seoul

CROSSING 2003; KOREA/HAWAII, Koa Gallery, Hawaii

Exhibition of the artist of Seoul in France, Gallery Artitude, Paris

2000 Gawnnngju Biennale ‘Scar’, Gwanju Folklore Museum, Gwangju

Ocean Art Festival, Sejong Certer fro the Performing Arts, Seoul

1999 Taboo-Brutality, Violence & Fantasy, Total Museum, Seoul

Money, Money, Money, Savina Museum, Seoul

1998 Humans and the doll, Total Museum, Seoul

Korea Underground Cartoon Festival, Kumho museum, Seoul

1997 Body as text, Kumho museum, Seoul

1996 Young Venture 96, National museum, Gwachun

Asia Pacific Triennale, Queensland art gallery, Australia