Jongmin Joy Kim

Backpacking

2017

Jongmin Joy Kim draws inspiration from modern Korean art and gritty street art. As a result, the South Korean-born artist works in a venturesome style that, while representative of the influence of icons such as Pablo Picasso and Jean-Michel Basquiat, is distinctly his own.

Kim creates compelling paintings and other mixed media works that are characterized by vivid colors and feature collagist attributes as well as Cubist and Surrealist flourishes.

Kim was born in the city of Gumi, South Korea — the second largest city in the eastern province of Gyeongsangbuk-do. He began drawing at a young age, scribbling out cartoon-style illustrations and using his talent to entertain friends in elementary school. 

Kim attended the Gimcheon High School of Arts. After graduating in 2010, he backpacked through Europe and became enamored with the wealth of art he was able to experience while traveling. Kim cites this trip — and a friend he made along the way — as immensely inspirational and credits his time in Europe as having been pivotal to his rekindling the desire to pursue drawing in earnest.

After returning to South Korea, Kim completed a mandatory stint in the military. In 2014, after his discharge, he moved to the United States. He settled in New York City and studied briefly at the School of Visual Arts but quickly grew restless. After six months, Kim dispensed with the idea of attending classes and threw himself into his painting. He immersed himself in the city’s rich and vibrant creative culture, and within a few years, his career began to gain traction.

Kim has been showing his work in solo and group exhibitions ever since, and his work is held in a number of private collections in Korea and the United States. He currently lives and works in Brooklyn.

Find original Jongmin Joy Kim art on 1stDibs.