The Essence of Me, new works by artist Insun Kim. This was the first solo exhibition of work by Kim at Morrison Gallery. The show opened with a reception on Saturday, September 12 and ran through October 11, 2015.
Kim has been gaining recognition for her meticulously constructed tree forms, made entirely of stainless steel nails. Emulating the shapes of willows and cherry blossoms, her work combines a lightness and natural beauty with the edginess of her material. Also included in the exhibition will be paintings by Kim, and abstract metal sculpture.
When asked about the inspiration for her work Insun states, “A lot of the focus in my work is on nature. I discovered a love for nature through landscape painting early on and am still fascinated by it today. I have been building trees out of nails for many years. To me, trees are beautiful with or without leaves changing in appearance throughout the seasons in color, fruiting bodies, and structure. Just as every person has their own story to tell the trees speckled throughout our community and those surrounding it have stories of their own.”
Insun Kim was born in South Korea in 1960. She studied painting at the Arts Student League in New York City. It was later however, when she was working at the Tallix Art Foundry in Peekskill NY that she was first introduced to sculpture working with great artists such as Reubin Nakian, Isamu Nogachi, John Chamberlain, Nancy Graves, and Frederick Douglas. These interactions proved to be some of the best and most valuable lessons. Insun is a self-taught sculptor, highly skilled welder, and fabricator. Over the years she has worked with many other materials such as wax and clay, but metal has always been the most appealing. Most of her work is fabricated out of metal as well as other found objects.
Insun Kim lives and works in Beacon, NY.
