"To draw" comes from "to miss." Kim Juhui photographs a place many times, then overlaps the images on canvas. 36 solos, held by MMCA.
"The Korean word 'to draw' (geurida) was derived from 'to miss' (geuriwohada)."
A sentence often placed first when explaining Kim Juhui's practice. She photographs a place she misses many times, and repeatedly overlays those images on canvas. Overlap. With each layer the landscape doesn't blur — it sharpens.
Dongdaemun, Woljeong Bridge, Jeju Seopjikoji
Three SAF 2026 works are all titled with place names.
- — 2024, oil on canvas, 90.9×72.7 cm
- — 2020, 31.8×31.8 cm
- — 2019, 53×33.3 cm
Dongdaemun in Seoul, Woljeong Bridge in Gyeongju, Seopjikoji on Jeju. Points of memory scattered across Korea's cities. Yet within the frame, all three are handled in the same grammar. Photograph many times, overlay many times, then record that overlay again in oil.
Regret for What Is Disappearing
The artist explains her work this way.
"I overlap unforgettable memories and moments. I revise and composite memory, repeatedly layering to amplify those moments as much as possible on canvas. I photograph or collect what I love and want to see, and I keep overlapping. Within overlapping I repeatedly re-remember the moments. This resembles regret for what is disappearing, and the contemporary person's desire to possess more. The image in the painting, as it layers, does not destroy itself but becomes brighter. I deliberately don't mix the colors — to leave bright memories brighter."
