Han Nae Kim
Han Nae Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea, and is currently living and working in Tāmaki Makaurau, New Zealand. She majored in Painting at Elam School of Fine Arts, The University of Auckland, and later completed a Master of Fine Arts by research at the Victorian College of the Arts, The University of Melbourne. Over the past 20 years, Kim has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions both in New Zealand and internationally.
During her time at VCA, Kim received several prestigious accolades, leading to an invitation to deliver an intensive drawing workshop for students across various visual art disciplines at the Art School. Since then, she 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. Most recently, she was a guest presenter at the ANZAAE (Aotearoa New Zealand Association of Art Educators) Regional Hui 2022 at City Gallery Wellington.
Kim has also received training in Asian natural lacquer art through international artist residencies in South Korea and China. She revives the traditional lacquer technique, alongside her use of other preferred mediums such as charcoal and shellac.
Her practice explores themes of encounter, collision, and splitting. The process of repetitive layering, rubbing, and sanding enriches the surface of her work with potential. The surface becomes a symbolic skin, possessing a virtual depth that can be constantly manipulated and regenerated. Her drawing-based investigations highlight the liberating force and cathartic potential of making art through a process-oriented 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, Saatchi & Saatchi | The Netherlands, Private Collections throughout NZ, Australia, South Korea, China, and the USA.