Mari Kim South Korean, b. 1979
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Biography
Mari Kim is a Korean artist who uses the language of Manga, Disney and Pop-Art to make her glossily realised paintings. Her images derive from a rich mixture of Western and Eastern cultural references. She produces pieces which explicitly reflect a pop sensibility and aesthetic back at her audience.
She trained as an animator in Australia before moving back to Korea and embarking on a successful career as a video director. This is where she developed her signature 'Eyedoll' characters. These distinctive images became the protagonists of her painting project.
The 'Big Eye Doll' archetype embodies a wide gallery of female subjects. These range from teenage girls to a variety of well-known characters, both real and fictional, including The Queen, Margaret Thatcher, Angelina Jolie, Snow White and Cat Woman. These are depicted in a richly coloured, decorative, graphic manner. Sometimes the background is covered in text, rendered in the highly stylised forms of graffiti.
The 'Big Eye Doll' archetype embodies a wide gallery of female subjects. These range from teenage girls to a variety of well-known characters, both real and fictional, including The Queen, Margaret Thatcher, Angelina Jolie, Snow White and Cat Woman. These are depicted in a richly coloured, decorative, graphic manner. Sometimes the background is covered in text, rendered in the highly stylised forms of graffiti.
These lush and jewelled images, the graphic handling emphasising their flatness, have the lustre of 'bright and shiny' consumables lined up in a department store display case for our delectation. They speak of acquisitive desire and instant gratification. Their formula of production and the uniform treatment of the subjects, irrespective of their actuality, makes for a message of 'the same, but different', like the ranges of mobile phones or watches we see in the store. The pictures are a lure for a hungry eye.
Contrastingly, the artist has spoken about a sense of threat in her work, saying that she is interested in expressing the 'twisted innocence' of 'evil kids in mass media'. On closer inspection, these images of women and girls carry some more sinister freight after all. The fact that this is concealed in such an attractive package makes it all the more startling.
If this is an artist for whom the surface is all, she has some interesting things to say about what that surface reveals to us.
View available works on Artsy
Works
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Cinderella Blue, 2016Graffiti Mix on Ultra Chrome Ink Print90 x 78 cm
35.4 x 30.7 in -
Kelly 2, 2016Gold Leaf Plated on Ultra Chrome Ink Printed and Acrylic Painted Paper145 x 117 cm
57 x 46 in -
Snow White Extreme Galaxy Mix, 2016Genuine Silver Leaf Plated on Ultra Chrome Ink Printed Paper110 x 110 cm
43.3 x 43.3 in
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Exhibitions
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South Korean Contemporary Art
15 Jan - 27 Feb 2021Pontone Gallery is delighted to present this group exhibition of six acclaimed South Korean artists at the gallery’s downtown Augusta, GA location. With artworks ranging from ostensibly traditional oil and ink paintings to light box sculptures, solar LCD units and digital work on television screens, this is an exhibition that celebrates and explores the conjunction of time-honored Eastern artistic ideals with contemporary methods of execution and representation.Read more -
Mari Kim
Immortal Beloved 12 Jul - 4 Aug 2019South Korean artist Mari Kim returns to Pontone Gallery with a new series of her distinctive 'Eyedoll' works.Read more
Her images derive from a rich mixture of Western and Eastern cultural references. After training as an animator in Australia, Kim moved back to Korea to embark on a career as a successful video director. This is where she developed her signature ‘Eyedoll’ characters. These remarkable figures became the protagonists of her evolving painting projects. -
From Miami to London
10 Jan - 3 Feb 2019After another outstanding year at Art Miami 2018, Pontone Gallery is delighted to present a further opportunity to enjoy works by our artists who achieved such great success there.Read more
In January we will present a Miami to London collection in the gallery and online, including works by Emil Alzamora, Hwang Seontae, Mari Kim, Lee Leenam, Malcolm Liepke, Matteo Massagrande and Jeff Robb. -
Mari Kim
Days of Future Past 1 - 25 Sep 2016Mari Kim is a Korean artist who uses the language of Manga, Disney and Pop-Art to make her glossily realised paintings. Her images derive from a rich mixture of Western and Eastern cultural references. She produces pieces which explicitly reflect a pop sensibility and aesthetic back at her audience.Read more
Art Fairs
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Art Wynwood 2021
Special Online Edition 24 Feb - 14 Mar 2021For the 2021 Special Online Edition of Art Wynwood on Artsy, Pontone Gallery presents an exquisite collection of work from internationally acclaimed artists. The Pontone...Read more -
Art Miami 2018
4 - 9 Dec 2018Pontone Gallery will showcase the works of Malcolm Liepke, Matteo Massagrande, Lee Leenam, Emil Alzamora, and Jeff Robb in the 2018 edition of Art Miami.Read more -
CONTEXT Art Miami 2017
5 - 10 Dec 2017Pontone Gallery will showcase the works of Hwang Seontae, Hong Sungchul, Jeff Robb, Mari Kim and Matteo Massagrande in the 2017 edition of CONTEXT Art...Read more