Kim Hong Joo

Kim Hong Joo began his career in 1973 with avant-garde conceptual art before transitioning to hyperrealistic paintings around 1975. He held his first solo exhibition in 1978 and started creating distinctive images of humans and landscapes in the mid-1980s. During the late 1980s to mid-1990s, Kim experimented with sculptural techniques to create multi-layered works, later focusing on tactile paintings in the mid-1990s. In the 2000s, he developed a unique pen technique, and from the 2010s, he has worked on haptic paintings that express touch. His artistic journey reflects a continuous evolution and experimentation in style and technique. Kim's works are collected by prominent institutions such as the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul, South Korea and the Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea, highlighting his significant influence on contemporary art. In 1978, he won the top Frontier Award at the Korea Art Grand Prize hosted by Hankook Ilbo, Seoul, South Korea. In 1988, he was selected as the 'Controversial Artist of 1987' by the Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, South Korea, and in 1991, he received the Total Art Museum Director's Prize at the Total Art Grand Prize exhibition, Seoul, South Korea. Subsequently, he won awards such as the Lee In-sung Art Lecture (Daegu, South Korea) in 2005, the Paradise Award (Paradise Foundation, South Korea) in 2006, and the Lee Jung-seop Art Award (Chosun Ilbo, Seoul, South Korea) in 2010.