Daniel Byung O Kim

Lives and works in Chicago, IL, USA

Artist statement

As a visual artist, you must create paintings that go beyond conventional beauty. Suburban housewives would buy your work, and department stores would display it. These are the words that were spoken to me eighteen years ago, and since then, I have faced a challenging journey in creating work I feel proud of. Over the years, doubts constantly lingered in my mind, along with numerous paintings that were painted over or discarded. My current work stems from my approach to what I consider pure abstract painting. The paint is thinned out, and I use forced air to spread it, mirroring a natural element, perhaps with a touch of Asian aesthetics. The result is a gradient of colors and a ripple effect. The colors are inspired by traditional Korean garments (Hanbok), symbolizing peace, harmony, social status, hope, and other positive and social meanings. Finally, I signed my work with a traditional name stamp (Dojang), a practice used in Korea since the second century B.C., which continues to this day.

Artwork