Seoul-based artist Yool Kim, born in 1982, graduated from Hongik University Graduate School of Industry in 2015 with a degree in Color Studies. Her studies deepened her understanding of the science of color and the nature of personal color, raising her awareness of how color interacts with an individual based on both their context and emotional state, rather than just their complexion.
Kim explores themes of identity and the subconscious mind through her mixed media on linen artworks. Her paintings focus on figures expressing a form of “disorder,” portrayed not only through facial expressions but also through a permeating sense of unease within the piece. This approach aims to express the dissatisfaction and dizziness that can accompany the human experience.
Kim’s work often highlights her own evolving self-expressions, which crystallize in a state of evolution through her art. Her work is delicate and beautiful, yet shrouded in a stark and multifaceted narrative. It is circular and undulating, immersing the viewer in a sea of reason that ultimately leads to the emotional response intended by the artist.
Described as both “heavily psychological, representing extreme emotional states, yet also figurative and composed,” Kim explains, “I shift from disorderly to complex thought to frame the world around me. I try to convey acceptance of change and longing for mental and physical freedom. I place importance on color, background, shapes, composition, and the emotion of the subject.”
Kim has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Seoul and internationally, including the Court Tree Collective in New York.
Solo shows
2026 The Place Memory Keeps by Yool Kim, Court Tree Collective, USA
2025 The Way We Were, Rhodes
2024 Yool Kim’s “Warm Connection”, Court Tree Collective Kinship, Rhodes
2023 “Play Factory” by Yool Kim, Court Tree Collective HERO, Rhodes
2021 Yool Kim: Hello!, Court Tree Collective, USA
Group shows
2026 12:12, Rhodes
2026 SUMMERTIME’26 – The Big Annual Summer Group Show 22nd Edition, Galleri Christoffer Egelund, USA
2025 XMAS’25 – The Annual Winter Group Show, 21st Edition, Galleri Christoffer Egelund SHELTER, Galleri Christoffer Egelund
2025 She Roars in Color, Julie Nester Gallery
2025 Spring Show, Julie Nester Gallery
2023 “Summer Freestyle”, Court Tree Collective Future Primitive, Court Tree Collective
2022 The Hero She Needs, ARUSHI Gallery
2022 Summer Lounge, Court Tree Collective
Fair booths
2026 Court Tree Collective at Outsider Art Fair, Court Tree Collective
2025 Rhodes at Untitled Art, Miami Beach, Rhodes
2025 Court Tree Collective at Outsider Art Fair, Court Tree Collective
2024 Rhodes at Untitled Art, Miami Beach, Rhodes
