Rayeon Kim

Year of birth: 2002.
Where do you live: Seoul, South Korea.
Your education: Currently studying on the undergraduate course of business administration major in university.
Describe your art in three words: Dreamlike, Free, Experimental.
Your discipline: Break the boundaries & Be myself.

Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your project “Fly Over”?

So far, most of the artworks I have created stand for one theme – freedom. 

The project ” Fly Over ” is the same. But at this point, I wanted to capture the specific moment of a bird flying over.

Because I think the desire to fly like a bird is a pure emotion of a human being. That is the emotion of the people who created flights as well 🙂

How does the concept of “flying over” relate to your personal experiences or artistic journey?

The 2 photographs of the project are portraying the perfume store I actually worked for over a year and a half. 

I learned the skill to manage the store, a sensitivity to distinguish different scents, and experienced many kinds of customers who have specific tastes. 

I believe those times influenced me deeply as an artist, in a way to broaden the world view.

The artworks I created in the past and the experiences I made inside of society and travels became great steps before my moment of “Fly Over”.

Your work seems to capture a sense of movement and freedom. How do you approach conveying these feelings through your art?

Firstly for the painting, I try to match my sense of body to the theme. I turn on music which makes me feel free – Kings Of Convenience’s songs are nowadays my favorite ! 

And I see the images for free emotion, such as the walking videos in the foreign cities and the photographs I took on travels. Also, I always spray fresh perfumes on the workplace.

For photography, I capture the moment when I feel the emotion of the theme in real life. If the moment does not come naturally, I direct the scene by myself. 

The three photographs of the project portraying the street views follow my direction. 

I secretly took a walk outside of the store when there was no customer, and conveyed my real free emotion through those photographs. 

What challenges have you faced as a young, emerging artist in Seoul, and how have you overcome them?

I had a lack of artistic network in relationships and lack of space to only focus on creating artworks. 

So I took part in the painting classes runned by several contemporary artists who are actually active in the art field in Seoul. 

And I visit lots of art exhibitions. It helps me not only for my artistic inspiration but also to have a conversation with the artists.

For the art workshop place, I rented a rental studio. It could be a little bit exhausting to make a reservation every single time. 

But there are positive sides as well – the price is affordable and I can choose the atmosphere of a town and theme of the studio suit for the artwork 🙂

How do you see your art evolving in the future? Are there any specific themes or projects you would like to explore next?

I want to evolve the projects in a more detailed, sensitive way. “Fly Over” is quite pioneering and mighty. 

The next artwork will be about the sense you feel through the delightful citrus scent. 

I will use the canvas sized 90.9 X 72.7 and it will be a serene, dreamy mood acrylic painting captures your happiness. 

What advice would you give to other emerging artists who are trying to find their unique voice in the art world?

Do not disappoint with the background you have got at the moment. Just focus on protecting your values and energy. 

Every experience becomes a foundation for your artistic journey. 

So believe in yourself, think deeply about what only you can do, and how to show your works to the world 🙂