So Youn Kim FRSA

Title: Untitled


My art is purely traditional and classy in its own way. I deny the use of digital technology, computer program edits, but instead maintain traditional paint making of analogue style of classic abstract paintings. The process is very straightforward - I use several colors of gouache paints, textiles, newspapers, tools of paint brush, paint knife, on butcher's tray, with easel and white glues all onto canvas, for making layers, gestures, figurations, shapes until I am happy and satisfied with improvised yet continuous exercises. I attach newspaper pieces of collages on canvas without thinking of the meaning of texts with the paper pieces; meanwhile, I narrate the impression I got from artwork in a subjective and philosophical ways in the way I educate myself from notable art theory, history and philosophy books, other postmodernism philosophy books, and western and contemporary classics, in addition to my cosmopolitan academic background of international affairs, which I term as cosmopolitan affairs to the extent of creativity and intellect in amalgam.

Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 

Creative Experience 

Creativity and Intellect for me have to go together; you have to be creative to make intellectual work and also you have to be intelligent to narrate the creative work you made; as such, reading texts, art making from inspirations and then narrating the impression and inspiration of artwork I created is an interesting process for appealing of mentality and visual sense together. 

Biography and links

So Youn Kim is a member of the British Art Network (BAN) and Royal Academy of Arts, as well as Art Deco Society UK and, Art Deco Society of New York, with representation at the gallery at Boston SOWA District. She wears multiple hats of different nature: Abstract Artist, Researcher in International Affairs. President of NPSIA (Norman Paterson School of International Affairs) Alumni Association and Advisor in Public Policy and Analysis

So Youn has an interesting cosmopolitan background; born in Seoul, Republic of Korea, she has started studying abroad in Canada since 14, where she has had an intellectual and sophisticated journey in her life, including times at Trinity College School and Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. She has a variety of intellectual curiosities by applying her analytical thinking from a social scientific lens to her artwork of contemporary abstract expressionism paintings where she conveys her philosophical inspiration from reading texts of great classics, such as John Ruskin’s writings on art and life, Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, Michel Foucault’s postmodernism, a success quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

In a variety of discipline she cuts across, she applies social scientific lens to translate artwork she created which she was inspired academically and intellectually from research in international affairs, the practical policy and analytical skills of which she uses for work for analyzing public policy issues; the leadership on international affairs also led her to network with people as the President of NPSIA Alumni Association in Ottawa, Canada.