Han Nae Kim
Han Nae Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea and is now living and working in Tāmaki Makaurau,
New Zealand. Kim majored in Painting at Elam School of Fine Arts, The University of Auckland and
later graduated with Master of Fine Arts by a research degree at Victorian College of the Arts, The
University of Melbourne. Over 20 years, Kim has had numerous solo and group exhibitions in New
Zealand and overseas.
During her VCA years, Kim was awarded prestigious accolades, and as a direct result she was invited
to deliver an intensive drawing workshop for students across multiple visual art disciplines in the Art
School. Since then, Kim has been invited to give talks, tutorials and workshops as a visiting artist /
educator at institutions including Guangxi Art College, Shanghai Art College in China and Unitec in
Auckland and most recently as a guest presenter at ANZAAE (Aotearoa New Zealand Association of
Art Educators) Regional Hui 2022, City Gallery Wellington.
Kim also has been trained in Asian natural lacquer art through a number of international artist
residencies in South Korea and China. She revives the traditional technique of lacquer along with the
use of other favourite mediums such as charcoal and shellac.
‘In my studio, I use my body as a vessel, a medium or as a bridge to transfer, transform, and to re-
enact phenomena that have been perceived through all the senses. My work is an ongoing
investigation into the relationship between my body and the bodily gestures involved in the process
of making marks, traces and ultimately activating the material itself.’
Her practice explores fields of encounter, collision, and splitting. It’s process of repetitive layering,
rubbing, and sanding, makes the surface of her work rich with potential. It becomes the symbolic
skin, which possesses a virtual depth that can be constantly manipulated and regenerated. Her
drawing-based investigations sing of the liberating force and cathartic potential of making art
through the process-orientated approach to creative practice.
COLLECTIONS
The James Wallace Arts Trust | Auckland, VCA Collection | Melbourne, The Athenaeum Club |
Melbourne, Tongyeong Ottchil Museum | Tongyeong, Shanghai Art and Design College | Shanghai,
Guangxi Art College | Nanning, Anglican Church of Korea | Seoul, Saachi & Saachi | The
Netherlands, Private Collections throughout NZ, Australia, South Korea, China and the USA.