Interview: With No Signs of Slowing Down, Kim Yun Shin Reflects on 70 Years of Making Art

Kim Yun Shin has spent 70 years building a resonant artistic language that bridges sculpture, painting, and printmaking. Her deeply meditative practice explores the fundamental interplay between addition and division—concepts that guide her process and help frame her lifelong engagement with nature, material, and time. Following the presentation of her work at the 60th Venice Biennale, curated by Adriano Pedrosa, Kim unveils two new major exhibitions at Lehmann Maupin in London and New York. Speaking with Something Curated’s Keshav Anand, the artist shares insight into her fascinating journey, from overcoming societal barriers as a first-generation woman sculptor in Korea to establishing an international presence that transcends cultural and geographical boundaries.

Keshav Anand: Your career spans seven decades and, at the age of 90, you remain prolific. It’s extraordinarily inspiring. What drives you to continue working with such energy?

Kim Yun Shin: I turned 90 this year, but I believe that working consistently on my art is what helps me stay healthy. For me, creating art is the driving force of my life and, since I don’t engage in other forms of exercise, it is also my only form of physical activity. When I’m working, I don’t feel any pain in my legs. Even if I spend the entire day working, I’m so focused that I don’t notice any discomfort in my body.

KA: Alongside years spent in Korea, France, Mexico, and Brazil, you’ve lived in Argentina for over four decades. I’m curious how your time in South America has shaped your artistic language?

KYS: Frankly, I was not particularly influenced by South America, but having lived there, I think it unconsciously seeped into me. Just like how, as a Korean, whatever expression I use inevitably carries something Korean; living there for such a long time made the local culture subtly influence my expression. I noticed that the colours used by the Bolivians and the indigenous people were very similar to the primal colours of my home country. I thought of them as Korean colours, but people say they remind them of South America. When I returned to Korea after studying in Paris, I was even told that my work had a Parisian colour tone!

However, the nature I directly witnessed in South America became an immense source of inspiration for me. The horizon was beautiful, and the land and sky were flat. The people were gentle and kind. There were also many trees—thick, large, and sturdy ones that were abundant. At that time, Korea had just come out of the war, so most of the trees were dried up. The variety of trees in Argentina was fascinating, and the local people’s culture, along with South American traditional culture, was equally intriguing.

The leisurely and peaceful atmosphere in Argentina greatly helped my work. In fact, I chose to incorporate elements from the ancient culture of the Argentine indigenous people into my pieces. Moving to Argentina gave me the opportunity to break free from the realistic, narrative, and figurative works that were popular in Korea at the time. Instead, I was able to develop a more unique visual language through textured combinations and paintings.

KA: Your work was featured prominently in the most recent edition of the Venice Biennale, titled Foreigners Everywhere. How do you relate to the theme of foreignness, given your own global movements?

KYS: I have had the unique experience of living as a foreigner in both Europe and South America, and through these experiences, I have learned to accept and embrace the differences I encountered in each culture. These diverse encounters have deeply influenced my artistic vision, allowing me to reflect the various perspectives, traditions, and values I have absorbed into my work. This theme of embracing difference seems to align perfectly with the roots of my creative process, where I explore and celebrate the contrasts and connections between cultures, identities, and histories.

In my wood and stone sculptures, I encapsulate the life I have lived across various continents. Each piece tells a story of migration, transformation, and adaptation, intertwining elements from different regions into a cohesive expression of my journey. The materials themselves—wood and stone—symbolise the enduring and timeless aspects of life, while their natural textures and forms reflect the diversity of the environments in which I have lived.

KA: Your presentations at Lehmann Maupin in London and New York include works from the 1970s to today. How do you feel seeing your output from so many different periods of life come together in one space?

KYS: This year, as I celebrate 70 years of my artistic career, it holds deep meaning for me. With solo exhibitions held consecutively at Lehmann Maupin London and New York, I have had the opportunity to reflect on the works I have created over such a long period. I still feel there is a long way to go. Even if I strive until the end of my life, I know I can never reach perfection, but I want to leave behind works that firmly convey the world of Kim Yun Shin. By reflecting my spirit in my works, I hope to leave behind pieces that young artists can look up to. I am doing my best, and doing my best means focusing my mind. When you focus your mind, the soul of the person should be in it, but I worry if I can truly achieve that.

KA: The titles of your new exhibitions, Add Two Add One and Divide Two Divide One, reference a key sculptural series. Could you explain the significance of this mathematical structure in your work?

KYS: Add Two Add One, Divide Two Divide One represents the fusion of opposing concepts into a complete whole. It expresses the yin and yang of Eastern philosophy. “Yang” signifies division and separation, while “yin” signifies unity and harmony. There is “yin” within “yang” and “yang” within “yin,” and as such, division is for the sake of unity, and separation is for the sake of harmony. Different entities meet to become one and to grow further, they must divide into different entities again. This universal and natural principle is what I express in my work.

I create spaces by cutting a piece of wood, contemplating division and separation, and thinking about unity and harmony as I join two or several pieces of wood. I spend a long time looking at a given or chosen log to read the message it offers. Then, with an electric chainsaw, I create facets that would form harmonious lines. Through these forms and lines, I manifest Add Two Add One, Divide Two Divide One. So, the title serves as my own geometric interpretation of the Eastern philosophy of yin and yang but also reflects my lifelong communion with nature.

KA: How do you think about your practice in relation to the natural world? There’s a sense of harmony and reconciliation with nature that feels inherent in many of your pieces.

KYS: Interacting with nature is extremely important to me. I can only start working when I have observed nature for a long time and become one with its original stance. I immerse myself in the life force, colours, shapes, and feelings of nature to form a relationship with it. Then my art fully reveals this process.

KA: And lastly, I’m interested in learning more about your involvement as a founding member of the Korean Sculptress Association in the 70s.

KYS: In the 1960s, studying abroad in Paris was uncommon, but I had the opportunity to immerse myself in the artistic and cultural richness of the city, which was at the heart of the art world. There, I met many female artists engaged in similar creative pursuits and was amazed by their sense of freedom. However, upon returning to Korea, I realised that the presence of female artists in the domestic art scene was still minimal, especially in sculpture. While working as a professor, I gathered with a few students and proposed the idea of forming a sculpture association for women. I suggested that we hold exhibitions together and work even harder to create opportunities for female sculptors.

Following that discussion, we officially launched the Korean Sculptress Association, with my mentor, Professor Kim Chung-sook (1916–1991), as the president and senior artist Yoon Young-ja (1924–2016) as the vice president. This association later contributed to the foundation of the Korean Young Artists Association, and since its establishment in 1974, the Korean Women Sculptors Association has held annual member exhibitions for 50 years. I take the greatest pride in the fact that this organisation has continued to bring together generations of female sculptors, supporting and encouraging their artistic endeavours.



Surveying her oeuvre, the London exhibition is now open and on view at Lehmann Maupin’s No.9 Cork Street location until 15 March. Closely following this, Kim’s solo exhibition at the gallery’s New York outpost will be on view from 3 April–31 May.



Feature image: Kim Yun Shin, Portrait of the artist. Courtesy the artist, Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and London; and Kukje Gallery, Seoul and Busan