Kim Junggi at the LOTTE Museum of Art

Kim Junggi is an artist who is known for recreating complex scenes from movies, and other visual art, only from his memory. For example, he watches a film once and then draws what made the biggest impression on him. He recently had his own exhibition at the LOTTE Museum of Art, which is located at the top of the LOTTE World Tower/Mall in Sincheon-dong. His exhibition, The Other Side, seemed small from the outside, but I soon realized that it was an intricate maze which displayed over a thousand drawings by Kim. His sketches were strewn about the walls with short descriptions of the concept as a whole, and there were screens that played time-lapses of Kim completing certain artworks.

He had many artworks that depicted war, conquering, and political themes, but what I found particularly interesting was the “Drawing Now” wall in the exhibition. Apparently, Kim continued to draw on an expansive paper canvas during certain times in the day. Luckily enough, my friend and I happened to be at the exhibition just before he continued working on the incomplete piece, so we were able to watch his progression for a small amount of time. I also thought it was fascinating to see how modern media impacted Kim’s work. He had several works involving the music and film industry, including SuperM, Drunken Tiger JK, and Parasite. Before this exhibition, I never realized how interwoven all the art realms were in Korea. It seemed like they were in separate worlds and that one artist might not know about another. However, I appreciated how this exhibit demonstrated the closeness of the Korean art community. While not everyone will know every subject that Kim sketches or draws, and some may not even like his artistic style, it is clear that art is an important aspect in Korean culture and intertwined in daily life.