b. 1935, North Korea

Kim Yun Shin Biography

Sculptor Kim Yun Shin is widely recognised for her intimate attention to materiality and philosophical approaches to her practice.

Read More

Life

Kim Yun Shin was born in 1935 in Wonsan, in what is now North Korea. She was one of the first women to formally study sculpture, graduating with a bachelor of fine arts from Hongik University in 1959, and going on to study sculpture and lithography at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. She is regarded as one of Korea's first-generation female sculptors.

Kim returned to Korea in 1969, taking up a post at Sangmyung University and cofounding the Korea Sculptress Association. She continued to teach until 1983. In 1984, Kim relocated to Argentina, drawn by its landscapes and the sculptural possibilities of the textures of the local algarrobo (carob) tree, where she has continued to build and develop her artistic practice. The Museo Kim Yun Shin opened in Buenos Aires in 2008, inaugurated by Kim herself. Today, she is an influential practitioner in the Argentinian art scene.

Kim Yun Shin Artworks

Kim works primarily with hardwood, alongside other natural materials, including onyx and stone. Her pieces are abstract and draw on traditional Korean forms, ideas, and spirituality, alongside influences from her periods living in France, Mexico and Argentina and Kim's own philosophical approaches to nature and the universe.

Kim's practice engages intimately with materiality. Her sculptures are mostly spontaneous and unplanned. She chips and carves away at blocks of wood—often using a chainsaw—attuning her own energy to the natural qualities found in a material's vibrations, shadows and echoes to intuitively work her way through her primary medium.

Stacking Origins (c. 1970), is a typical example of Kim's early work. It groups together a number erect wooden structures, each of which is constructed as a series of irregular wooden blocks arranged vertically atop one other, some of which stand straight while others curve and lean, as if defying gravity. Notable across her works is the recurring title and concept of Add Two Add One, Divide Two Divide One, in which Kim reflects on the polar natures of yin (fragmentation and division) and yang (convergence and integration). Kim approaches her artistic practice as embracing the oscillations between these energies, and the possibilities of creation springing from this interaction.

While sculpture remains her key practice, Kim also works with paint and lithography. In these, she plays with organic and intuitive strokes and using colour to create meditative and abstracted pieces, such as in Chal-la 2020-18 (2020), which features repeated lines spiralling out from each other in cool tones of blues, whites and greys.

Exhibitions

Kim Yun Shin's works have been exhibited locally (in both Korea and Argentina) and internationally. Her work has featured in exhibitions at the Sao Paulo Biennale; Seoul Museum of Art; Buenos Aires Museum of Modern Art; Mexico National Museum of Modern Art; and Beijing International Sculpture Park.

Arianna Mercado | Ocula | 2024

Kim Yun Shin
featured artworks

View 14 More
Song of My Soul 2009-187 by Kim Yun Shin contemporary artwork painting
Kim Yun Shin Song of My Soul 2009-187, 2009 Oil on canvas
100 x 100 cm
Kukje Gallery Request Price & Availability
Song of My Soul 2016-71 by Kim Yun Shin contemporary artwork painting
Kim Yun Shin Song of My Soul 2016-71, 2016 Oil and acrylic on canvas
149.86 x 119.89 cm
Lehmann Maupin Request Price & Availability
Myth of the Constellations by Kim Yun Shin contemporary artwork painting
Kim Yun Shin Myth of the Constellations, 1972 Ink on canvas
70.01 x 52.52 cm
Lehmann Maupin Request Price & Availability
Add Two Add One, Divide Two Divide One 2022-6b by Kim Yun Shin contemporary artwork painting, sculpture
Kim Yun Shin Add Two Add One, Divide Two Divide One 2022-6b, 2022 Acrylic on zelkova tree
138.01 x 67.01 x 67.01 cm
Lehmann Maupin Request Price & Availability
Vibration Series 2018-50 by Kim Yun Shin contemporary artwork painting
Kim Yun Shin Vibration Series 2018-50, 2018 Oil and acrylic on canvas
99.06 x 119.38 cm
Lehmann Maupin Request Price & Availability
Add Two Add One, Divide Two Divide One 2020-1 by Kim Yun Shin contemporary artwork painting, sculpture
Kim Yun Shin Add Two Add One, Divide Two Divide One 2020-1, 2020 Acrylic on recycled wood
120 x 29 x 16 cm
Kukje Gallery Request Price & Availability
View 14 More

Kim Yun Shin
current & recent
exhibitions

View 2 More
View 2 More

Represented by these
Ocula Member Galleries

Kukje Gallery contemporary art gallery in Seoul, South Korea
Kukje Gallery Seoul, Busan
Lehmann Maupin contemporary art gallery in 501 West 24th Street, New York, United States
Lehmann Maupin Hong Kong, Beijing, London, New York, Seoul +1
View 2 More

Kim Yun Shin in
Ocula Magazine

Learn more about the market for works
by Kim Yun Shin.
Enquire for a confidential discussion. Enquire Now
Simon Fisher, Ocula CEO
Ocula Advisor
Simon Fisher
Christoper Taylor, Ocula Advisor
Ocula Advisor
Christopher Taylor
Eva Fuchs, Ocula Advisor
Ocula Advisor
Eva Fuchs
Rory Mitchell, Ocula Advisor
Ocula Advisor
Rory Mitchell

Kim Yun Shin in
Ocula Advisory

Read 1 More
Read 1 More
Ocula discover the best in contemporary art icon.
Follow Kim Yun Shin
Stay ahead.
Receive updates on new artworks,
exhibitions and articles.
Your personal data is held in accordance with our privacy policy.
Follow
Do you have an Ocula account?
Ocula discover the best in contemporary art icon.
Get Access
Join Ocula to request price and availability of artworks, exhibition price lists and build a collection of favourite artists, galleries and artworks.
Do you have an Ocula account? Login
What best describes your interest in art?

Subscribe to our newsletter for upcoming exhibitions, available works, events and more.
By clicking Sign Up or Continue with Facebook or Google, you agree to Ocula's Terms & Conditions. Your personal data is held in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Thank you for joining us. Just one more thing...
Soon you will receive an email asking you to complete registration. If you do not receive it then you can check and edit the email address you entered.
Close
Thank you for joining us.
You can now request price and availability of artworks, exhibition price lists and build a collection of favourite artists, galleries and artworks.
Close
Welcome back to Ocula
Enter your email address and password below to login.
Reset Password
Enter your email address to receive a password reset link.
Reset Link Sent
We have sent you an email containing a link to reset your password. Simply click the link and enter your new password to complete this process.
Login