Oil on Canvas
44,5 x 35,4 in (113 x 90 cm)

Born in 1965, Korean artist Kim Dong Yoo studied at Mokwon University’s College of Fine Art, receiving his BFA in 1988 and his MFA in Painting in 1990. He is known for appropriating stereotypical images from pop culture in his work, as well as subverting and disorientating these subjects by playing on illusions. Kim’s novel approach to portraiture combines elements of Pointillism with the reiterative spirit of Pop Art, while paying tribute to pop culture emblems that influenced him his whole life. Resembling screen prints or pixilated images, his works are rather created through a unique and elaborate painting process, whereby each portrait of a celebrity or well-known individual is made up of hundreds of units of smaller, individually painted faces. The artist’s technique is unique and clever, yet painstaking and time consuming, resulting in an image that fascinates viewers and draws them in to examine his works in detail. Further depth and meaning are added by the Kim’s choice of both miniature and overarching portraits, often carefully selected in a witty play on the relationships, gossip and scandals that define celebrities. Kim has exhibited in a number of solo exhibitions in South Korea, including major venues such as the Sungkok Art Museum, Kumho Museum of Art and the Savina Museum of Contemporary Art, as well as internationally in Germany, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore UK and USA. His works were included in the group exhibitions Roundabout, a traveling exhibition in Wellington, New Zealand and Tel Aviv, Israel (2010), and Korean Eye in London’s Saatchi Gallery (2012).