Singer Kim Soo-chul's 30 Years of Private Painting Finally Blossoms in Solo Show
Creatrip Team
2 months ago
Kim Soo-chul, a beloved 1980s Korean singer known for hits like "Young You" and "A Flower That Never Bloomed," is revealing a lifelong private practice as a painter. Though never formally trained, he has kept a "painting diary" for about 30 years and amassed roughly 1,000 works. From Feb 14 to Mar 29 he will present 160 selected pieces at a first solo exhibition titled "Sound-Paintings" at the Hangaram Design Museum, Seoul Arts Center. The show expresses his philosophy that "sound is painting and painting is sound," translating audible and inner sounds into color, line, texture and rhythm—often dominated by blue tones he likens to a personal form of ink painting (sumukhwa). Kim emphasizes spontaneity—working without sketches—and hopes viewers will find their own emotional resonance or "sound" in the works. The exhibition was prompted when an art professional, impressed after reviewing his studio pieces, encouraged him to exhibit publicly for the first time.
