Soo Hyun Namkoong

Country where you live:

The United States

City where you live:

New Jersey

Website:

https://www.namkoongsoohyun.com

Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/namkoong_artist/

Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/soo-hyun-namkoong/

Statement :

Art is a tool that I wield to understand myself and which opens my eyes to my own shortcomings. I like to delve into my emotions and find the psychological reasons for my feelings. As an introspective person creating my artwork helps me to better understand myself. This internal exploration inspires me to visualize my feelings into works of art, and that is the core solution to solve my inner confusion. Beyond exploring my own existence, I examine the varied human relationships I have encountered.

A recurring symbol I use in my work is a blanket. It is a symbol of my exploration in the fluctuations of my feelings and represents the act of processing my emotions. The shape of the blanket is free and varied like the idea of unknown emotions. It can give endless interpretations, express a warm and cozy feeling as well as a stuffy and unstable feeling. I continue to analyze the overarching theme of emotional exploration and I am constantly discovering new ways of doing so.

The two main applications applied in my paintings are what I feel, which takes the form of abstract techniques, and what I see, which is rendered in realism. Although these themes are mainly painted in acrylic paint, they are also expressed in color pencils, digital drawings, or motion graphics. In the future, I wish to use more diverse media and converge them into an expansive project.

Abyss of Emotion

2023 Acrylic on canvas 36 x 48 in

The Blanket: Inescapable I

2023 Mixed media 30 x 48 in

Bio:

Soo Hyun Namkoong (b. 1999, Buyeo, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea) is a contemporary South Korean artist living in Jersey City, NJ. She works in a range of mediums, including painting, drawing, installation, and motion graphic design that visualize the exploration of her internal feelings.

She grew up in a multicultural society, which she was born in South Korea, lived in Shenyang, China, and is currently located in the United States, being educated by artists from diverse nationalities. Soo Hyun received academic training at Savannah College of Art and Design, earning a bachelor’s degree in painting and minoring in motion media design with honors scholarships.

Soo Hyun has worked in a diverse field as a freelance artist. She started her career in 2016 when she was commissioned for a commercial illustration on public buses in South Korea. She collaborated on digital illustration for the opening sequence for “Uncanny Counter”, OCN drama series on Netflix, and the movie "Confession". She has also animated a music video for Jimothy Lacoste on a song called “Getting Acid.” Moreover, Soo Hyun has been selected for several art exhibitions held in SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design): KSA (Korean Student Association) Exhibition, Foundation Honors Show, Sketch X: Sketchbook Exhibition, Drawing Works, Open Studio, and Spring Forward Exhibition. Her first official public exhibition was held in South Korea at Yesong Art Gallery in 2019 with a group of artists. In 2022, She held her first duo show at Cedar House Gallery in Savannah, Georgia. Furthermore, Soo Hyun’s illustrations and paintings can be seen in published magazines: Port City Review 2020-2022, Square 95 Magazine, and Dwil online magazine.

In 2023, she was nominated as the artist in residence at the School of Visual Arts and upcoming Clio Art Fair in New York.