[Exhibitions of the Week] Solo Exhibition by Kim Miyeong: "Boundless – There Are No Boundaries Within," Solo Exhibition by Minsun Moon: "Trace Beyond Disappearance – Permeated Remnants," and More

Editor's NoteThis week's exhibitions present a curated selection of diverse and captivating shows taking place across Korea that you can visit this week.

Minsun Moon, Souffle du temps (Breath of Time), 2022-2026. Yeong Eun Museum of Contemporary Art

Solo Exhibition by Minsun Moon: "Trace Beyond Disappearance – Permeated Remnants"

Yeongeun Museum of Art is hosting the solo exhibition "Trace Beyond Disappearance – Permeated Remnants" by 13th resident artist Minsun Moon, as part of the 2026 Yeongeun Artist Project.

Minsun Moon repeatedly rubs and polishes the surface of clay, then exposes the pieces to smoke in a kiln filled with sawdust, leaving traces on the ceramics. During the days-long process of incomplete combustion, smoke permeates the fine pores of the clay, creating layers of black and gray on the surface. The movements of fire and smoke—beyond the artist's control—become patterns on the finished works themselves.

Moon Minsun_Trace Beyond Disappearance - pervaded Traces Exhibition_Scene Photo. Yeongeun Museum of Art

This exhibition sheds light on the artist’s world, shaped by over 30 years of exploring the relationships among clay, fire, and smoke between Korea and France. Ceramic and earthenware works such as "Breath of Shadow," "Breath of Time," and "Souffle du temps" reveal how things that appear to disappear are not truly gone but instead permeate the surface.

The black earthenware fragments placed against white walls do not assert themselves by growing in size, but rather permeate the space like a quiet breath. Small masses hung on the wall and pieces placed close to the floor blur the boundaries between sculpture, ceramics, and installation, transforming the exhibition hall into a tranquil landscape. The black traces on the surface are not painted colors, but the result left by the passage of time through incomplete combustion. Thus, rather than a finished form, the works are closer to lingering presences left behind by something that has passed.

The artist’s formal language originates from childhood memories of encountering concrete buildings. The architectural sensibilities—both protective and intimidating—are translated into pillars, circles, and elongated structures. The exhibition guides viewers along traces left between presence and absence, fullness and emptiness, condensation and diffusion. Disappearance, it suggests, is not an end but a way of remaining in a different form. The exhibition runs through May 24 at Yeongeun Museum of Art, Cheongseok-ro, Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province.

How Far Can It Grow, 2026, Oil on Canvas, 53.3x45.5cm. Nook Gallery

Solo Exhibition by Kim Miyeong: "Boundless – There Are No Boundaries Within"

Nook Gallery presents the solo exhibition "Boundless – There Are No Boundaries Within" by Kim Miyeong. The show features more than 20 new works spanning both painting and installation.

Kim Miyeong has translated intangible sensations—such as the softness of taste or the freshness of air—onto the canvas with bold brushstrokes and vivid colors. In her recent works, she cuts into the canvas or creates structures that can be viewed from both sides, deconstructing the flatness of painting. The layers of paint and the cut-out voids do not remain confined to a single scene, instead guiding the viewer's gaze both inside and outside the space.

Folding Wind, 2024, Oil and Ink on Linen, Hand-Cut, Stainless Framed, 53.3x38.2cm. Nook Gallery

In particular, her recent work treats the canvas not as a simple surface, but as a structure that can be traversed. The gaps in the cut canvas, surfaces punctured like grids, and installations reminiscent of doors all free the painting from being a mere rectangle on the wall. Rather than stopping in front of the canvas, viewers are invited to follow the colors and openings, moving between the front and back. This marks the point where painting does not simply imitate space but expands into a device that transforms real space.

The central motif of the exhibition is the "door." The artist envisions her canvases as windows or gates to other dimensions, expanding the point where inside and outside energies intersect into a pictorial space. Translating the sensation of "qi un saeng dong" (vital energy in motion) into contemporary abstract painting and installation, this exhibition presents scenes where the boundaries between painting and space, inside and outside, front and back, become fluid. The exhibition runs through May 30 at Nook Gallery, Pyeongchang-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

Untitled, 2026, Mixed media on canvas, 90.9x72.7cm. Gallery Mari

Solo Exhibition by Doorye Kim: "I Just Paint"

Gallery Mari is holding the solo exhibition "I Just Paint" by Doorye Kim. This show offers a close look at the artist’s painting world, shaped by explorations of color, memory, and sensation.

Although she began with figurative painting, Doorye Kim’s work evolved—especially during her time in the United States—from depicting visible objects to capturing invisible sensations through color. The five traditional colors of blue, white, red, black, and yellow (Obangsaek) appear repeatedly on her canvases, not as a reproduction of tradition but as inner colors imbued with personal memory and emotion.

Exhibition view of the solo exhibition "I Just Paint" by Kim Duree. Gallery Mari

The canvases displayed in the exhibition first strike viewers with their vivid color contrasts. Red and blue, yellow and green, push against each other yet find balance within the frame. The roughly applied brushstrokes and divided color fields create a rhythm that feels closer to the memory of the body than to meticulous calculation. Doorye Kim’s abstract paintings are less about cold, ordered composition, and more about long-suppressed sensations erupting as masses of color.

This exhibition was initially planned as a father-daughter show featuring painter Kim Youngtae and his daughter Doorye Kim, but is being presented first as a solo exhibition for Doorye Kim. The gallery displays her "Untitled" series produced from 2024 to 2026. The strong color fields, rough brushwork, and segmented composition demonstrate the power of painting that, as the title "I Just Paint" suggests, is driven more by intuition than explanation. The exhibition runs through May 29 at Gallery Mari, Gyeheegung-gil, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.