Born in 1977 in Seoul, South Korea, Tez Kim's artworks are largely informed by his childhood. By embracing the inherently selective and often unreliable nature of memory, Kim seeks to reimagine the emotional residue of his early experiences. It remains ambiguous whether the saturated colors and grainy, memory-like atmosphere reflect this retrospective reinterpretation or a heightened intensity preserved over time. What ultimately emerges is a vignette that is undefinable and indescribable, pointing to neither a specific event nor a moment of transformation. Instead, his work invites viewers to recall a time when seemingly insignificant details held profound emotional weight and excitement.
Signature series & symbols
Tez Kim's artworks unfold as interconnected series, each signaling a spectrum of profound emotional states. His signature use of yellow, recurring banana motifs, and the figure of the "boy" together articulate the core elements of his philosophy on child-likeness. In the Way Home series, Kim employs an intensely saturated deep yellow that evokes the cumulative layering of sunsets from countless passing days. Rather than documenting specific moments, this color functions as a visual metaphor for memory itself: experiences overlapping and dissolving into one another, forming an impression rather than a precise account of events.
Bananas, in Kim's work, emerge as symbols of innocence and emotional expression. When thrown or held like a gun, they imply aggression or defiance, yet their targets remain unharmed. Instead, it is the banana itself that bruises or splits. This symbolizes the growing pains of childhood from emotional outbursts or intense internal experiences leave their lasting marks not on others, but on the self. These traces ultimately shape the adult that the "boy" grows into.
At the center of Tez Kim's artworks stands "boy", an emblem of youth imprinted upon the world as a vessel of persistent emotion, vulnerability, and growth. Through this figure, Kim captures childhood not as a fleeting phase, but as a continuous force that informs one's inner life long after innocence has passed.
Exhibitions
2024
Way home’, KIMHYUNJOO Gallery, Seoul, Korea
KIAF Seoul, Coex, Seoul
‘Olympic & K-Arist to Global 2’_Two IFC Seoul, Seoul, Korea
PLAS Contemporary Art Show, Coex, Seoul, Korea
One Art Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
Galleries Art Fair, Coex, Seoul, Korea
2023
‘Oh boy; nonetheless’, Der-horng Art Gallery, Tainan, Taiwan
SCOPE MIAMI BEACH, Miami, USA
ART TAIPEI, Taipei World Trade Center, Taipei, Taiwan
KIAF Seoul, COEX, Seoul, Korea
PLAS Contemporary Art Show, Coex, Seoul, Korea
Summery Luncheon: Bon appétit!’: Gallery BK Hannam, Seoul, Korea
Together together: Sinsa House Gangnam, Seoul, Korea
Galleries Art Fair, Coex, Seoul, Korea
‘Sculptures springs life(見生彫刻 展)’: Uijeongbu Arts Center, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Duet show & event, Hyundai Department store (COEX), Seoul, Korea
I am ground: Group Exhibition, Klamp Gallery, Seoul, Korea
One Art Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
2022
‘He was just a funny boy’, Gallery SEJUL, Seoul, Korea
SCOPE MIAMI BEACH: Solo booth, Miami, USA
Ars Longa: Group Exhibition, Gallery SP, Seoul, Korea
KIAF PLUS : *Solo booth, SETEC, Seoul, Korea
Hangang Sculptures Project 2022_
Hangang (North side)_Seoul, Korea
Art Taichung, Taichung, Taiwan
Character Licensing Fair_ Invitation Artist booth_ Coex, Seoul, Korea
Urban Break_Art Asia: *Solo booth, Coex, Seoul, Korea
PLAS Contemporary Art Show, Coex, Seoul, Korea
Galleries Art Fair, SETEC, Seoul, Korea
2021
‘About a boy_a Puer aeternus’, KIMHYUNJOO Gallery, Seoul, Korea
Bank Art fair, Intercontinental Hotel Coex, Seoul, Korea
KIAF Art Show, Coex, Seoul, Korea
Open exhibition; ‘The Colors Start beating’, Gallery Color Beat, Seoul Korea
Urban Break_Art Asia: invited artist: Solo booth, Coex, Seoul, Korea
Invitational group show: Herald Art Day gallery, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
PLAS Contemporary Art Show, Coex, Seoul, Korea
One Art Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
Urban Break_Art Asia: invited artist: Solo booth, Coex, Seoul, Korea
KIAF Art Show (OVR), Seoul, Korea
2020
PLAS Contemporary Art Show, Coex, Seoul
One Art Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
2019
‘Encouragement from a boy’, Trio show (with Byun Kyung-soo & Kim Da-eun), KIMHYUNJOO Gallery, Seoul, Korea
Public Art / Collections: Corp.
Jung Heung S-class (Edu High), Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Truel-ecocity_ Residential Complexes, Incheon, Korea
Foundation Guanzheng_ Residential Complexes, Shindorim, Seoul, KoreaOne Alloy, Namdong Industrial Park, Incheon, KoreaPureun Culture Foundation, Seoul, KoreaANDA Asset Management, LTD, Seoul, KoreaGwangwon Construction Co., LTD, Incheon, KoreaHotel Modrian Seoul Itaewon, Seoul, Korea
Art Educations
2009 Rhode Island School of Design_Industrial Design. USA
2007 Politecnico di Milano Exchange Program. Italy
2005 Metal Craft & Art. Hong-ik University. South Korea
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