Jonathan Kim: Encounter

Jonathan Kim, Stone & Cloth in Frame II (Obangsaek II), 2019A solo exhibition by Adelaide-based artist Jonathan Kim, Encounter will be held at Linden New Art’s Projects Space from 23 January 2020.

Jonathan was born and raised in South Korea and spent his 20s studying and working in International Trade and Economics in China. A passion for art was ignited after a trip to Europe opened his eyes to the art world, inspiring a transition to pursue an artistic career after migrating to Australia.

In 2018, Jonathan completed a Bachelor’s Degree in Visual Art with Honours at the University of South Australia and his artwork has already met with much success. Encounter marks the first time Jonathan has presented his work in Melbourne.

“Jonathan is an exciting artist to watch and develop, he has a refined and considered aesthetic that is drawn from his cultural heritage and travels,” says Melinda Martin, Linden New Art Director. “I am delighted to be able to offer this opportunity to Jonathan, and to collaborate with the Helpmann Foundation to bring his work to Melbourne.“

Encounter demonstrates the artist’s ongoing conceptual engagement with space, form and materials. Deeply inspired by Korean artist Lee Ufan’s theory of Man-Nam [Encounter], Jonathan’s practice places deep importance on the relationship between a medium and its environment. He has also been influenced by the post-minimalist art movements of the 1970s.

“Although my practice began with an interest in minimalism, I am currently trying to demonstrate the Gong-gan-seong (meaning spatiality) that a medium creates with its surroundings,” says Jonathan. “I am very interested in the issues that occur in our society and the consequences they have. I believe it is the artist’s social responsibility to recognise and respond to these problems.”

Often using found materials, Jonathan works across painting, drawing, sculpture and installation to reconstruct spatial concepts, based on phenomenology. The focus on Gong-gan-seong rather than the physical structure itself identifies internal values through an object’s external structures.

Drawing on a variety of social and cultural references gleaned through his extensive travels and residencies across Australia and abroad, Jonathan’s exhibition will feature works created during three recent residencies including: the University of South Australia’s Vacation Research program; the British School at Rome Residency and the Sauerbier House Culture Exchange Artist in Residence program.

Jonathan’s artwork was selected by PICA for the esteemed national graduate exhibition Hatched in 2018; featured in the prestigious Helpmann Academy Graduate Exhibition in 2019, where he was awarded the prestigious British School in Rome residency, as well as the Linden New Art Award, which includes this opportunity to present a solo show in the Linden Projects Space.


Jonathan Kim: Encounter
Projects Space – Linden New Art, 26 Acland Street, St Kilda
Exhibition: 23 January – 23 February 2020
Free entry

For more information, visit: www.lindenarts.org for details.

Image: Jonathan Kim, Stone & Cloth in Frame II (Obangsaek II), 2019, stone, cloth and timber, 120 x 84cm. Image supplied by the artist