Jade Kim

LSS NYC

“Reflection”

2023 August 4 to August 28

Long Story Short is pleased to present “Reflection”, an exhibition of 12 new paintings by South Korean artist Jade Kim. On view through August 4th to August 28, 2023.

Throughout the paintings in the exhibition we are met with a childlike figure called MIN. She is a character inspired by the artist’s beloved wife who is the central focus throughout his oeuvre. A dreamy child-like face, a serious and serene gaze, and an air of both innocence and rebelliousness characterize MIN. When asked why he chose to portray a mature woman as such, Kim responds “I wanted to remind myself by looking at my paintings [of] what we [had] lost and what we had to protect.”

In Reflection, MIN is submerged in a world of mirror images, doubled compositions, and reflective pools. Sometimes she is shown with brown or white hair, other times with blue or violet eyes. Duality and the subtle differences between iterations become a recurring motif. Loose and painterly brushstrokes coalesce within the animated forms. Symbols permeate the colorful and dreamlike world. As we adults grapple with a rapidly changing and increasingly conflicting world, Kim offers us a window of escapism through the wide, bright, and innocent eyes of a child.

Jade Kim (b.1981, Soul, South Korea) is an artist who studied at the Korea National University of Arts, now lives and works in Soul, Korea. He worked in the fields of exhibition curating and product planning for nearly ten years. Eventually, he determined to commit himself to the creation of art.