Interview with Tae-Young Kim

I wanted to paint, but there was opposition from my family. After graduating from college, I worked as a designer for a development company in the IT industry for four years, but my health deteriorated and I left. After that I chose the painter's path and working as a painter until now.

My choice.

I'm a Fine Art Award Winner, so I'm going to speak from the artist's point of view. I'm working about the wounds of the heart, and I want to work in connection with a lot of social issues, like discrimination and the absurd.

I still needs to gain more experience. I can't answer yet because there are many people who are better than me.

It depends on whether you have your own or not. Because it is authenticity that it has its own.

To be a good work, it is to communicate in the original language of the work, not words or writings. Very difficult.

A good work helps intellectual improvement. Which works you prefer tells you what kind of person you are as well as your intellectual level.

My work is about the wounds and pain caused by discrimination. It includes not only the pain of my own but also the problem of discrimination that has not been solved yet in the world. It contains a message that human beings can find peace when values are respected.I just hope I can continue this work.

There is a project that has not been implemented because of financial difficulties rather than time. One of them is currently underway with the goal of exhibiting in 2026. Money is the biggest problem in any project.

I am not a successful yet. So it is difficult to answer correctly, but is not it important whether it is design or fine art? Thoughtless works are soulless, and such works only convey visually. I can not move my mind.

I am inspired by the painful stories of others. Understanding and respecting their pain, being together and hurting together. That is included in my work.

Taste varies from person to person, so even good design can be uncomfortable for someone. For example, when I worked as a designer in a company in the IT industry. The design that everyone liked was a big inconvenience for one blind person, and it was difficult. Each person has different tastes and circumstances.

It is an "Orchid". Painted by Chosun politician Heungseon Daewonun in the 1800s.
There is a huge energy in his work along with beauty. My work is close to the sentiment of oriental painting.

I've been constantly thinking about my work. About me. And about my inner world. Constantly questioning and analyzing.

If I did not have a dream, I would probably have lived a very meaningless life.

Art is a mirror of the times, and if you can't capture the joys and pains of the times, you're not an artist.

Everyone who supports me.

A desperate desire.

Prejudice. (origin, education, materials)

In the past, offline competitions were the only way, but now I think that if the whole world is connected to SNS and my will is firm, I can announce and get a chance.

In fact, I have a project that I have been working on for the last two years [115 KOREA FIGTERS]. This project was carried out during 2023-2024, and it is a project to honor the independent heroes who have made many sacrifices until the present Korea. Each of them was processed in the form of pop art with graphic work. Finally, I tried to homage Taegeukgi, the national flag of the Republic of Korea, to reflect on their great sacrifice, independence spirit and independence with the image of independence activists. However, it was impossible to work all independence activists alone. So I got to choose 115 heroes. You can Google [115Project] or [korea115Project].
Soon after the election of President Yoon Suk-yeol, there was an incident in which he tried to drive out the statues of the independent heroes who sacrificed for the independence of Korea and set up another statue on the spot.
Currently, Korea is on the path of destruction.
I couldn't hide my dismay, and that's why I was work on the project - it was so hard, so sadness.
An artist must be able to capture even the pain of the times, otherwise he cannot be called an artist.

There is no goal. I just want to be able to continue my current activities. My dream was a painter, and that dream has already come true.

I do not know if I'm respected, but people seem to want goods rather than art.

In fact, everything around us is design: the cups, pens, notes, computers, radios, pots, bookshelves, beds, furniture, curtains, patterns of curtains, mobiles, apps, emoticons, icons, and so on.Design is not something special, but living with human beings in everyday life. Design of such everyday life becomes the environment and it becomes society.

I'm planning a small exhibition for 2026. It's for my favorite musician.

The most unforgettable exhibition of the nine solo exhibitions so far was the second solo exhibition in 2016. It was an exhibition on the theme of healing, and the place was a cafe. I was always grateful enough to have an exhibition every time. However, one weekend, the exhibition hall was full of people. At that time, healing the wounds of the heart was a big social issue in Korean society, and the people in the exhibition hall were healing themselves by talking about their wounds in a solemn atmosphere. It was what I intended it to be, and I was so impressed and proud that it unfolded in reality, an unforgettable moment. It was a moment when I was grateful to be an artist.

As the world becomes more comfortable, it is regrettable that the great value of human hands is gradually being ignored. I hope that machines, AI technologies, and human hands will be recognized together.

I don't know yet.

Usually, it takes a week to complete a work, but sometimes it takes longer depending on the importance of the work or the depth of its meaning.

Analyze the meaning of the project first, so that you can set the overall concept and plan the detailed progress.

Be true every moment.

I think that trends determine the design. Trends change according to the notion of the times at that time. It seems that the design is adjusted accordingly.

To make it stand out. If it is an external part, it needs color, proper pattern, formative technique, and if it is a practical part, functional skill will be needed.

I usually use my pictures taken by mobile.

Important, I think material> color> ambient.
First, it is important to find the material that fits the theme or concept, then how to lead the overall color, and how to optimally place the elements in the ambient. The material makes you think, the color makes you feel, and the ambient makes the material and color stand out, creating a complete design as a whole.

"Why do you draw only one flower?" It's a question that no one has asked so far. It is the most important point in my work.

Admiration.

I haven't thought about it yet.

More or less.

I like books about life. Like Judith Gould's [Rose of Wrath].

The material that suited me was a ballpoint pen, and I experienced constant attempts and failures, resulting in the creation of a ballpoint drawing technique called [Pleroma].

Question is somewhat difficult. Asking me who I want to talk to across time and space? If so, I would like to meet "Shin Yun-bok". He is a painter of Joseon. He also painted landscapes, and works satirizing the hypocrisy of bureaucrats.

It's very happy to be famous. But it's quite uncomfortable for everyone's eyes to be on me.

I like blue or brown. I like to go to coffee shops and galleries. I like mainly cooked food - miso stew, kimchi stew, sun-ji-hae-jang-guk, hamburger, pizza, vegetables and so on. I like sushi among uncooked food. I like autumn and winter. My favorite brand is Seo Tae-ji. He is a musician, but the music, fashion and design he creates are attractive enough to be a living brand.

It was quite interesting to use the concept of "seniors" only for academic backgrounds. "Why do you call them seniors when you're not from our school?" There's a "seniors" in every environment. It's a really stupid idea to limit ourselves to academic backgrounds.

I don't try to make the day great. it's stressful for me. Just flows on the time. Every moment is a motive for me.

Many SF movies predicted that there would be all sorts of natural disasters on Earth, which would eventually devastate, and humans would either try to escape to another planet or be attacked by aliens.

First of all, I would like to thank you for your interest in my work. In Korea, I do not recognize it as a work unless I paint it on a canvas. It is also difficult to exhibit. These perspectives - see it as a work without prejudice - make the artist more passionate. Thank you. I love you.

I work at home.

My work is Fine Art. It is the only friend who accepts and understands me as it is.

I like works that convey sincerity and authenticity, not just to enjoy.

I don’t have favorite Works. Sometimes I watch works at gallery. I enjoy seeing their story and personality.

Drawing. Drawing is the basis of all pictures: the most basic and instinctive technique that can express the most freely tangible and intangible things such as objects and emotions.

When I discovered my own philosophy... and when it include in my work.

Understanding the pain and suffering of many alienated people, including myself. My own philosophical thinking derived from it.

Loneliness and solitude. Silence and tranquility.

A sense of joy and achievement that seemed to be rewarded with effort.

Everyone has their own tastes. There is no everyone like works. So success is rare.

It's "bad". Because "bad" requires good. If everyone is "good", why do we hurt each other?

The philosophy and message of the artist inherent in the work changes perception: the artist is not simply a person for art; sometimes he is a pioneer who can influence the overall flow of society.

The childhood science fiction movies and cartoons tell us how things will change in the future: in the old days it may have been a simple imagination, but now it is becoming a reality.Maybe it’s not a movie anymore, maybe the people who made those movies or cartoons had some sense of precognition or a revelation.

Recently, the 17th Korea-Japan Contemporary Art Artists Association held a regular group exhibition in Korea. The next exhibition will be held in Korea in January next year.

The source of my work is philosophical thinking based on experience and events; this is closely related to my work, and has a great impact.

The material and color of my work all started with my experience: I felt myself in the leaf in the early winter, which was eaten and dried, and composed of black and red. Black is a color that contains all colors. There is no color that overcomes black. It is darkness in the darkness. Red is the color of passion and authority, but it is the color of anger, the color of resistance, the color of fear, and the color of taboo. My time was often dark, and sometimes very scary. It is a reminder that my life is not just my own story but a chronic problem that I can not solve yet through realistic expression. With him, I want to convey the philosophy and message that everyone is valuable, precious and beautiful.

On the road, At home, Find the beauty of leaves everywhere and take pictures. (unmanipulated beauty). I can not erase the ballpoint pen with an eraser, so I have to be careful every time, but sometimes I enjoy that thrill. The Monami 153 ballpoint pen I use often wipe on roll tissues because there are many ink residues.

Time is not important; the authenticity of the finished work is important.

Authenticity.

It doesn’t matter which tools you use, it matters where you arrive.

A week, usually.

I learn from the people around me. things I should and should not do as a human being.My Artist Statement and work descriptions were the biggest experiences stolen. Never steal someone's and disclose it.

She is a painter, not a client.

Now, I’m trying to make a little difference. For a more diverse and rich display of content.

I work alone.

e-mail : zinibox@daum.net