Kyong was born in South Korea. She received her BFA in Painting from Chung Ang University in Seoul, South Korea and her MFA in Painting from the San Francisco Art Institute. Currently she lives and practices in Los Angeles.
Kyong primarily works in painting, drawing, and paper cut. Her work has been featured in the Huffington Post Arts + Culture and Boston Globe and New American Paintings and her exhibitions include the San Jose Institute of Contemporary Art, Vessel Gallery in Oakland, Root Division in San Francisco, the Marin Museum of Contemporary Arts, OHT Gallery in Boston, Judy Rotenberg Gallery in Boston. Kyong is a recipient of the Murphy & Cadogan Fellowship from San Francisco Foundation and Korean Honor Scholarship from The Embassy of Korea, Washington, D.C. Her public collection includes the National Museum of Contemporary Art in South Korea, Kenneth Rainin Foundation in Oakland, California, Wellington Management Company LLP and Fidelity Investments Art Collection in Boston.
My previous series of work, “Junglescape” and “Cliff”, created imaginary landscapes that embedded the energy, beauty, and mystery of nature. In my recent work, ‘Ulterior’ and ‘Paper Stroke’, these essential properties of nature are further emphasized within internal landscapes or microscopic-like structures of living organisms. The inspiration of these works is drawn from the intriguing relationships of ecology. For example, it is amazing that all-living creatures are derived from tiny cells and are systematically connected to each other like a spider web. These organisms, while fragile and vulnerable, are constantly challenged by their surroundings to evolve and hybridize. Therefore, my works are created with an aesthetic pleasure that directs our senses to the responsibility of seeking a peaceful co-existence within our world.
My recent work, ‘Ulterior’ and ‘Paper Stroke’, relies on my own methodology, complexity (the process) within simplicity (the final surface). Digital processes are interplayed with conventional artistic medium. In my studio, miniature figurines are casually sculpted with clay. Then these figurines are photographed and digitally manipulated for further transformation. Subsequently, the digital images are traced (and layered) onto wood panels, paper, or drafting film and transformed into multiple layers to imply the time and evolutionary processes. My latest work, “The Skulls” from the “Paper Stroke” series, is more realistic in presentation than prior works as “The Skulls” are sourced from photographs of endangered species such as the polar bear and elephant. I oscillate between the virtual and physical steps to amplify the images. These stepwise processes are vital to precisely eliminate, build on, layer, simplify, and hybridize the forms to generate the complexity (the process) within simplicity (the final surface) in my work