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Selection
Sound of Silence No. 65
Heryun Kim2025.07.01 ~ 2025.10.13
Description of the work
- Media oil on canvas
- Location LOTTE HOTEL SEOUL MAIN TOWER 1F
Heryun Kim’s representative series, 《Sound of Silence》, begins not by viewing nature as a mere object of landscape, but by interpreting it as a totality of sensory experience. This body of work was inspired by the artist’s experience in her forest studio in Berlin, where, in the absence of human voices and everyday noise, she became attuned to the deep and majestic sound of life within nature - a true “sound of silence.” Kim focuses on the invisible yet undeniable flows of nature - such as sky, clouds, and wind - translating their quiet yet vibrant energy into a visual language.
The title ‘Sound of Silence’ brings together two opposing concepts - silence and sound - to evoke both the unseen energy of nature and the resonance of inner contemplation. The repetitive brushstrokes, layered color fields, and marks or scratches on the surface of the canvas reflect the passage of time and the vitality of nature, becoming traces of the artist’s introspection and sensory perception. Through this series, Heryun Kim transcends the boundaries between sensation and performance, nature and abstraction, revealing a unique artistic world that captures the living force of nature through painterly expression.
Artwork Inquiry 02-747-7736
The title ‘Sound of Silence’ brings together two opposing concepts - silence and sound - to evoke both the unseen energy of nature and the resonance of inner contemplation. The repetitive brushstrokes, layered color fields, and marks or scratches on the surface of the canvas reflect the passage of time and the vitality of nature, becoming traces of the artist’s introspection and sensory perception. Through this series, Heryun Kim transcends the boundaries between sensation and performance, nature and abstraction, revealing a unique artistic world that captures the living force of nature through painterly expression.
Artwork Inquiry 02-747-7736
About the author
Heryun Kim (b.1964) is an artist who studied painting at the Berlin University of the Arts in Germany and earned a Ph.D. in philosophy. She has established a distinctive artistic world that bridges visual art and philosophical inquiry. Drawing on the formative sensibilities found in Korea’s traditional cultural heritage, Kim fuses these with contemporary visual language to create experimental works that explore the intersection of Eastern and Western aesthetics.
The delicate lines layered across the canvas reveal her inner emotions and thoughts through a unique visual vocabulary, offering viewers moments of profound resonance and contemplation. With this performative language, Kim freely crosses the boundaries between tradition and modernity, East and West, and has developed a singular, autonomous artistic voice.
Her solo exhibitions have been held at institutions such as the Stadtmuseum Berlin Ephraim-Palais (2005), SOMA Museum of Art (2011), Kunsthalle Dresden (2019), and OCI Museum (2025). Her works are included in the collections of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea, the Fondation Louis Vuitton in France, Gyeonggi Museum of Art among other institutions.
The delicate lines layered across the canvas reveal her inner emotions and thoughts through a unique visual vocabulary, offering viewers moments of profound resonance and contemplation. With this performative language, Kim freely crosses the boundaries between tradition and modernity, East and West, and has developed a singular, autonomous artistic voice.
Her solo exhibitions have been held at institutions such as the Stadtmuseum Berlin Ephraim-Palais (2005), SOMA Museum of Art (2011), Kunsthalle Dresden (2019), and OCI Museum (2025). Her works are included in the collections of the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Korea, the Fondation Louis Vuitton in France, Gyeonggi Museum of Art among other institutions.
Heryun Kim (1964~, Korea)
Bachelor of German Literature and Language in Seoul National University
Magister of Art Theory in Seoul National University
Absolvent of Painting in Universitaet der Kuenste Berlin
Meisterschuelerin by Prof. Klaus Fussmann
Ph.D. of Kunstwissenschaft by Prof. Dr. Robert Suckale in TU Berlin
Lecturer in Department of Western Painting in Seoul National University
Magister of Art Theory in Seoul National University
Absolvent of Painting in Universitaet der Kuenste Berlin
Meisterschuelerin by Prof. Klaus Fussmann
Ph.D. of Kunstwissenschaft by Prof. Dr. Robert Suckale in TU Berlin
Lecturer in Department of Western Painting in Seoul National University
