Kim Seong-bok Solo Show 'Shadows of Longing' at No Gallery
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Sculptor Kim Seong-bok, known for works like 'Even If the Wind Blows, I Must Go,' opens a solo exhibition titled 'Shadows of Longing' at No Gallery in Insadong, Seoul from the 22nd. The show marks his receipt of the 14th Korean Art Critics Association Artist Award (2025) and presents about 100 works—20 sculptures and 80 paintings—ranging from granite and stainless steel pieces to acrylic paintings. A professor at Sungshin Women's University and Hongik University-trained sculptor, Kim has focused on the materiality and form of Korean sculpture across 18 solo exhibitions and some 400 group shows. His works blend strong, larger-than-life figures with vulnerability: motifs mix childhood idols like Atom and Korean guardian statues (Geumgang Yeoksa) to suggest an ‘overman’ who still harbors anxiety. Recurring images—big hands and feet, the dokkaebi club (a mythical Korean goblin’s club), and the haetae (mythical guardian lion)—evoke desires for escape, resilience, and the burdens of everyday life. Kim describes his practice as “sculpting life,” translating lived struggle and perseverance into tactile forms that juxtapose toughness and emotional depth.
