Baahng Gallery is pleased to announce Kim Hong Tae, a solo exhibition curated by Liz Yisun Kwon. The exhibition will run from September 12th thru 30th showcasing his early and continuous series of works “Primitiveness + Child’s mind” from 2003 to 2018. The artist’s reception will be held at the gallery on 6pm, Thursday, September 20th.

Kim Hongtae holds a prominent position within the Korean Modernist Paintings, as he invented a visual language, focusing and exploring on primitiveness in his works. Using highly refined abstractions, Kim creates a sense of vitality by juxtaposing lines and forms painted in Korean five cardinal colors, yet harmoniously organized in monotones. Kim seeks a sense of innocence and liveliness in his works, which can be detected in the traces of embedded gestures on surface alluring primordial figurative markings, signs and signals. Kim further inquires on fundamentals in life to convey impermanence and limitations of life. In “Primitiveness and Child’s Mind _ Amazing Grace”, Kim refers to the inspirational and popular hymn "Amazing Grace" and reflects the lyrics of the song on endurance, hope, and grace in life. KIM HONG TAE invites us to ponder about compassion and benevolence on humanity offering his uniquely cultivated pictorial intelligence.

Kim Hongtae received a master’s degree from Hong-Ik University, Seoul, S. Korea specialised in Western painting. Kim’s works have been featured in over 100 group exhibitions since 1990, including the Salon Blanc, Tokyo (2007—2018) and the Exhibition of Korean Christian Artist’s Association, ChosunIlbo Art Museum, Seoul (1998-2017). Also, Kim has been the subject of solo exhibitions at galleries and museums worldwide, including James Gray Gallery, Santa Monica (2012); Rho Gallery, Seoul, Korea (2011), and Cheltenham Art Center, Philadelphia (2006, 2005). And Kim’s works are included in permanent collections of the Korean Cultural Center, New York; Seoul Northern District Court, Seoul, Korea; and Hanjeon Art Center, Seoul, Korea. Selected as a Korean Innovator in Arts Category, The Sports Chosun, Seoul, Korea (2013); as a Winner of the Salon Blanc, Tokyo Museum, Japan (2012), Kim was featured in the painting section of the Open Journal of Philosophy (May 2015).