Myong Hee Kim
Personal History
Myong Hee Kim was born in Seoul, Korea.
Her mother, Bum Sook Lee, was born in Seoul, and her father, Wan Teck Kim,
was born in Pyongyang. Therefore, like countless others, her family is
symbolic of their divided homeland. When the Korean War broke out
the family was forced to flee from Seoul to Pusan. They returned
to Seoul when Myong Hee was nine years old to rebuild their lives
in the war devasted country.
The social and economic conditions of the times led to great struggles for many
Koreans, including the Kim family. Since Myong Hee's father spent seven years in
Tokyo as a student, she feels that he planted a seed which brought her to Kyoto
where she has spent the last thirty years. Originally her main interest was classical
music, however when Myong Hee arrived in Japan in 1975 she began to study
painting under Japanese masters. This study led to her first solo exhibition
at Gallery Sanjo in Kyoto in 1985.
Currently, Myong Hee Kim, while being director of the Peace Mask Project, is
also continuing to express herself through her paintings. Most of her recent work
is being done at her studio, Kanjian, in Takano, Fukui Prefecture, a small
mountainous village located along the northern coast of Honshu Island.
Her residence is in Kyoto, Japan.
Professional History
EXHIBITIONS
June 1985 ~ Gallery Sanjo
(Kyoto, Japan)
June 1986 ~ Theater Pochette
(Kobe, Japan)
June 1986 ~ French Cultural Institute
(Kyoto, Japan)
September 1986 ~ Chosun Hotel Gallery
(Seoul, Korea)
November 1986 ~ Korean Cultural Center
(Tokyo, Japan)
June 1987 ~ Gallery Horikawa
(Kobe, Japan)
June 1988 ~ Gallery Horikawa
(Kobe, Japan)
November 1988 ~ International Artists Exhibition
Japanese Cultural Center
(Shanghai, China)
March 1989 ~ Gallery Avenue Kobe
(Kobe, Japan)
March 1989 ~ International Artists Exhibition
Hyatt Regency Hotel
(Vancouver, Canada)
June 1989 ~ International Artists Exhibition
Keihan Gallery
(Osaka, Japan)
April 1990 ~ Tokyo American Club
(Tokyo, Japan)
June 1990 ~ The Nakai Gallery
(Kyoto, Japan)
September 1990 ~ The National Museum of Anthropology
(Krakow, Poland)
March 1991 ~ Samoto Memorial Exhibition
Kaibundo Gallery
(Kobe, Japan)
May 1991 ~ Asian American Artists Exhibition
State Capital Building
(Washington State, USA)
June 1991 ~ Jack Gibson Gallery
(Vancouver, Canada)
October 1992 ~ Gallery Horikawa
(Kobe, Japan)
September 1993 ~ Journey East
The Central House of Artists
(Moscow, Russia)
January 1994 ~ Artists of Heresy
Parco Gallery
(Kobe, Japan)
June 1994 ~ Gallery Anne-Monnet
(Kyoto, Japan)
December 1994 ~ International Women Artists of Japan
Gallery Kisshodo
(Kyoto, Japan)
June 1995 ~ Gallery Horikawa
(Kobe, Japan)
February 1996 ~ International Women Artists of Japan
Gallery Kisshodo
(Kyoto, Japan)
April 1996 ~ Gallery Tanto Tanto
(Kyoto, Japan)
December 1996 ~ Gallery Naito
(Nagoya, Japan)
March 1997 ~ Gallery Kaseido
(Kyoto, Japan)
May 1997 ~ East meets West
Wolbern Bank
(Hamburg, Germany)
April to August 1998 ~ Fuji Insurance Company
Art
Award Exhibition
Kansai International Airport
(Osaka, Japan)
June 1998 ~ Gallery Horikawa
(Kobe, Japan)
August to November 1998 ~ Art Award Exhibition
Fuji Insurance Compnay Headquarters
(Tokyo, Japan)
October 1998 ~ Imadate Art Museum
(Fukui, Japan)
March 1999 ~ International Women Artists of Japan
Gallery Raku
(Kyoto, Japan)
August 1999 ~ Gallery Horikawa
(Kobe, Japan)
April to September 2000 ~ Art Showcase Exhibition
The Bond Market Association
(New York, USA)
October 2004 ~ Crossroads
Hyatt Regency Hotel
(Osaka, Japan)
November 2004 ~ Paper Artists Exhibition
Imadate Art Museum
(Fukui, Japan)
December 2004 ~ Areum
Kyoto City Museum
(Kyoto, Japan)
December 2006 - Winter Light
Art Space Dasman
(Kyoto, Japan)
Coming Exhibitions
2007 August - Gallery La Case (Beijing, China)
2007 October - Motomachi Gallery (Kobe, Japan)
2008 November - Gallery Musashi (Ginza Tokyo, Japan)
JAPAN - KOREA LIFE MASK 2002
January 2000 to February 2002
Artist Studio in Kyoto
January 11 to February 13, 2000
Gallery ISSISS Exhibition
(Kyoto, Japan)
March 10 to May 8, 2000
Gallery Art Works Exhibition and Workshop
(Mishima, Japan)
April 2000 to March 2002
Osaka
Owada International High School Lecture and Workshops
(Moriguchi, Japan)
June 6 to 18, 2000
Kyoto
International Community House Exhibition and Workshop
(Kyoto, Japan)
June 17 to 30, 2000
Space
Aviation Museum Exhibition and Workshop
(Kagamigahara, Gifu, Japan)
July 28 to August 6, 2000
Sakai
World Expo Exhibition and Workshop
(Sakai, Japan)
August 10, 2000 to February 4, 2001
Sugihara
Paper Research Institute Exhibition and Workshop
(Kami-cho, Hyogo, Japan)
September 20 to 24, 2000
Bokksagol
Cultural Center Exhibition and Workshop
(Buchun, Kyonggi, Korea)
October 13 to 20, 2000
Kyongju
World Expo Exhibition and Workshop
(Kyongju, Korea)
April to June 2001
Kyoto Art Center Workshop
(Kyoto, Japan)
April 7 to 30, 2001
Sosaku
no Mori Museum Exhibition and Workshop
(Kanazu, Fukui, Japan)
May 30 to June 7, 2001
World
Cup Stadium Media Center Exhibition and Workshop
(Suwon, Kyonggi, Korea)
August 23 to 28, 2001
Hatsuda Art Institute Workshop
(Kobe, Japan)
September 3 to 6, 2001
Inchon to Tokyo Peace Boat Lecture and Workshop
October 13 to 21, 2001
Chunju
International Sori Festival Exhibition and Workshop
(Chunju, Korea)
November 12 to 22, 2001
Osaka
Asahi Newspaper Exhibition and Workshop
(Osaka, Japan)
January 9 to 11, 2002
Maejima
Art Center Exhibition and Workshop
(Okinawa, Japan)
March 8 to 10, 2002
Japan
Youth Association Exhibition and Workshop
(Tokyo, Japan)
March 12 to 18, 2002
Kyoto
City Museum Exhibition and Workshop
(Kyoto, Japan)
April 24, 2002
Kyoto North Korean Junior and Senior High School Lecture and Workshop
(Kyoto, Japan)
May 4 to 7, 2002
Fukuoka
City Museum Exhibition and Workshop
(Fukuoka, Japan)
May 15 to 17, 2002
Takahama-cho
Exhibition and Workshop
(Takahama, Fukui, Japan)
May 24 to 25, 2002
Ritsumeikan
University Keishou High School Workshop
(Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan)
June 5 to 16, 2002
The Final Japan Exhibition
Kanagawa
Prefectural Hall Exhibition and Workshop
(Yokohama, Japan)
-
June 17 to 30, 2002
Akarenga
Exhibition Hall Exhibition and Workshop
(Yokohama, Japan)
December 13 to 19, 2002
The Final Korea Exhibition
Gallery
Mok, Kum, To
(Seoul, Korea)
THE PEACE MASK PROJECT
December 2000
First Korean Author's Life Mask Workshop
Gallery Mok, Kum, To
(Seoul, Korea)
October 2003
Second
Korean Author's Life Mask Workshop
Yong-In Author's Museum
(Seoul, Korea)
May 8 to 11, 2003
Intergenerational Retreat on the Interdependence of Soul, Soil and Society
Workshop and Exhibition
( Santa Barbara, California, USA)
August 21 to 24, 2003
Asia-Pacific Peace Research Association Conference
Workshop and Exhibition
(Siam Reap, Cambodia)
September 24 to 28, 2003
Halla Art Hall “The Wind of Peace”
Workshop and Exhibition
(Cheju Island, Korea)
October 1 to 5, 2003
Bukku Cultural Center “The Light of Peace”
Workshop and Exhibition
(Kwangju,
Chollado, Korea)
October 8 to 19, 2003
Chonginara Gallery “The Stream of Life and Peace”
Workshop and Exhibition
(Seoul, Korea)
July 27 to August 5, 2004
Okayama Prefecture Museum
Workshop and Exhibition
(Okayama, Japan)
October 4 to November 3, 2004
Hyatt Regency Hotel
Workshop and Exhibition
(Osaka, Japan)
September-October 2005
Pusan Democratic Park "Our Hope for World Peace"
Workshop and Exhibition
(Seoul, Korea)
October 2005
Third Korean Author's Life Mask Workshop and Exhibition
Yong-In Author's Museum
(Seoul, Korea)
STAGE WORKS AND COORDINATING
March 1989
Modern
Dance Group “Shy Tribe” at Kintetsu Theater
(0saka, Japan)
December 1990
Keiko
Iwahori Koto Recital at Kyoto Prefectural Hall
(Kyoto, Japan)
March 1992
Seattle
Girl’s Choir 10th Anniversary Concert at Meany Thither
University of Washington
(Seattle, USA)
May 1999
Theater Noho “Angels of the Lost Lake”
Japan-Korean-American Production
Kokoro Hall
(Kyoto,
Japan)
COLLECTIONS
Wolbern Bank (Hamburg, Germany)
Hyogo Prefectural Children’s Center (Himeji, Japan)
The National Museum of Modern Art (Krakow, Poland)
Private collections in Japan, Korea, Poland, Mexico, Canada, Russia and the
USA
MYONG HEE KIM DIRECTORY The Peace Mask Project HOME