• Minyoung Kim's solo exhibition, Whispers Inside Things, presents an unfolding in a world adjacent to reality, where quiet emotions, symbolic fragments, and strange objects blur the boundary between the familiar and the surreal. The scenes she paints transform everyday elements and situations into intimate yet thrilling ones, creating a familiar, homey feeling that feels a bit out of touch with reality.

  • My inspiration comes from multiple sources, including social media, but also film and poetry, and sometimes even my dreams. Together, I can create imagery that feels random, mystical, strange, and everyday all at once, while still conveying the emotion I want to express.”

    Minyoung Kim
     

  • Artist Background

     
  • Minyoung Kim (1989) is a Korean artist based in London, UK, who works across different media, including drawing, painting, collage,...
    Studio portrait of Minyoung Kim
    Minyoung Kim (1989) is a Korean artist based in London, UK, who works across different media, including drawing, painting, collage, video, and ceramics. Kim graduated from Sungshin Women's University with a bachelor's degree in painting in 2012 and a master's degree in printmaking in 2014. She also earned a second master's degree in painting at the Slade School of Fine Arts in 2021. She has had numerous solo shows and group exhibitions in countries around the world, including South Korea, Taiwan, the UK, the USA, China, the Netherlands, Canada, Japan, Israël, Spain, Italy and Lebanon.
  • A Minor Incident | Eggs, 2024 , What should be a trivial, everyday occurrence becomes charged, exaggerated, suspended in time.

    A Minor Incident | Eggs, 2024

    What should be a trivial, everyday occurrence becomes charged, exaggerated, suspended in time.

    The scene is almost absurdly ordinary: a simple tabletop, an egg, a flat expanse of colour, yet something about it feels quietly wrong. The composition is clean, controlled, even mundane at first glance, but that stillness is interrupted by a sudden rupture: the egg below has burst open, its contents spilling out with an almost violent urgency.

     

  • Burning Leaf, 2025 | Behind the Veil, 2026

    In her early paintings, the figure of a black cat serves a role reminiscent of a narrator. At times, the cat takes centre stage, commanding the scene, while at other moments, it is represented only by an eye, a paw, a shadow, or even merging with other elements.

  • “My work is shaped by a recurring symbolic language that I intentionally keep open-ended. For me, fish feel soft and unstable, hovering somewhere between comfort and unease. Snakes carry both seduction and danger; they are intimate, yet never fully predictable. Eggs suggest beginnings, quiet, hidden possibilities waiting to emerge, while mirrors and reflective surfaces allow for distortion and doubling, blurring the line between interior and exterior worlds.”

  • Minyoung Kim, Black Boot, 2025 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Minyoung Kim, Candle, 2025 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Minyoung Kim, The Jar, 2025 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Minyoung Kim, Big Fish, 2025 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Minyoung Kim, The Shining Net, 2025 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Minyoung Kim, Silent Gaze, 2025 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Minyoung Kim, The Bite, 2025 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Minyoung Kim, Pale Light , 2025 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Minyoung Kim, Soft Cut, 2025 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Minyoung Kim, Summer Reverie, 2025 (Larger version of this image opens in a popup).
    Minyoung Kim, Black Boot, 2025
  • 'Fallen Flower'

    'Fallen Flower'

    Fallen Flower highlights Kim’s exploration of drama and theatricality, as she delves into feelings of anxiety and regret through dreamlike composition, channelling personal experiences into her practice. Her work feels both eerie and lighthearted, with a black cat serving as a central figure. This painting appears both spontaneous and deliberate, balancing chaos with harmony. Bold contrasts guide the viewer’s eye, while the close-up angle offers a glimpse into a fleeting, slightly tense yet natural moment. Rather than depicting a literal scene, the painting evokes an emotional landscape, its energy emerging from the tension between structure and nature.

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