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Kim Hobong

Kim Hobong

South Korea, 1962

BIOGRAPHY

Kim Ho Bong is a South Korean artist based in the United States, celebrated for his evocative paintings and digital works that explore themes of humanity, urban life, and identity. Born in Seoul in 1962, Kim earned his BFA and MFA in Western Painting from Hongik University before pursuing further studies in Studio Art at New York University. His art is a profound reflection of the contradictions and complexities of modern urban existence, particularly in New York City, where he currently resides.


Kim’s works often depict the bustling crowds of New York, a metropolis he views as a symbol of capitalism and selfish human desire. Through oil paintings and digital media, he examines the paradox of material abundance juxtaposed with a profound loss of humanity. As Kim observes, “We live in an abundance of material civilization, but on the contrary, we are losing a lot due to a lack of humanity.” His works serve as a mirror to the city’s contradictions, exploring how the richness of diversity and opportunity is counterbalanced by alienation and existential emptiness.


Kim draws inspiration from Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot, seeing it as a metaphor for humanity’s endless quest for meaning. Like the play’s protagonists, he views people as navigating the futility of this search, clinging to vague hopes or waiting for a savior. This philosophical undertone imbues his art with a reflective depth, encouraging viewers to contemplate their own lives and desires.


His recent series, Others, focuses on the fleeting moments and impressions of life as an outsider in a vast and complex city. In this series, Kim portrays diverse crowds and everyday urban scenes, capturing the tension between light and dark, creation and destruction, order and chaos. These works are an exploration of self through the lens of the anonymous masses, reflecting his experiences as both an artist and a migrant in a city of contrasts.


Kim Ho Bong’s works have been exhibited in South Korea, the United States, Brazil, Germany, and Italy. His exhibitions highlight his ability to merge traditional painting techniques with contemporary themes and digital processes. In addition to his artistic practice, Kim is dedicated to art education, running workshops and programs at his New Jersey studio, Artcomcenter.


Through his vivid depictions of urban life, Kim Ho Bong invites audiences to confront the paradoxes of modernity, offering a profound commentary on the richness and emptiness of life in a globalized, material-driven society.



Education

1995~96 New York University Graduate School, New York

1991~92 HONG-IK Graduate School, Seoul

1981~84 HONG-IK University, Fine Arts, Seoul


Award

1993 Award of Special at MBC Broad casting ArtGrand Prize Competition,Center of Art, Seoul

1992 Award of Excellence at JUNG-ANG News paperArt Grand Prize Competition, Hoam gallery, Seoul

1992 Award at The Korea Art Grand Prize CompetitionNational Museum of Modern Art, Seoul

1991 Award at JUNG-ANG News paper Art Grand Prize Competition, Hoam gallery,Seoul

1990 Award at The Korea Art Grand Prize Competition,National Museum of Modern Art, Seoul

1990 Award at JUNG-ANG News paper Art Grand Prize Competition, Hoam gallery, Seoul

1990 Award at Dong-A News paper Art Grand Prize CompetitionNational Museum of Modern Art, Seoul

1989 Award of special at JUNG-ANG News paper Art Grand Prize,Hoam gallery, Seoul


Solo exhibition

2024 14th Other, Artfield Gallery , Seoul, Korea

2024 13th "Unfamiliar time Unfamiliar space ", Gala art center, New York

2023 12th "New York Rhapsody" Gallery Kwang Hwa Moon, Seoul, Korea

2023 11th "New York Rhapsody " Gallery H, Seoul, Korea

2022 10th "New York Rhapsody in the Box", ACC gallery,NJ, USA

2020 9th “New York, New York, The lack of ~”, Kcc gallery, NJ

2019 8th 4W43 gallery, New York, N.Y.

2018 7th Space Sun + ,Seoul

2017 6th Riverside gallery, NJ

2011 5th Gallery Bennett, NJ, USA

2007 4th Gallery Bennett NJ, USA

1997 3rd Washington square east gallery, New York

1991 2nd Now gallery, Seoul

1989 1st Soo gallery, Seoul

Collaboration exhibition

1st "voiceless" Noho gallery, 1998, New York

2nd " voiceless" studioventicinque, 1999, Millano, Italy


Art Fair

2023 KIAF SEOUL, Coex Hall, Seoul, Korea Mizuma & Kips Gallery, New York

2023 Plas Art Show,2023 Coax Hall, Seoul Korea, Art & Company, Seoul

2021 L.A. Art Fair, Los Angeles, CA

2013 Affordable art fair, Chelsea, NY

Selected Group exhibition

2024 Arrivals/Departures – East80West, Bergen Gallery, Bergen community college, NJ USA

2023~4 청담동생전, Gallery Doo, Seoul, Korea

2022 York Mang (욕망), 김호봉(Hobong Kim), 최윤정(Yun jung Choi) 김남주(Namjoo Kim) 3인전, artleon,

Seoul Korea

2022 'Different Perspectives: MeeWha Alana Lee, Hobong Kim, Kidong Kwon', 3인전, Pariskohfinearts

gallery,NJ

2021 "WE RISE 20 Years After 9/11 ", One art space, New York, NY

2021 JCAST, Mora Museum, Jersey City, NJ

2021 KCC Pandemic Through Art Open Call Award Exhibition, Kcc gallery, Tenafly, NJ

2021 “THE RIGHT TO SILENCE”, Anya and Andrew Shiva Gallery Online show,John Jay College, New

York, NY

2020~21 “공감 2020”, gallery ArtLeon, Seoul, Korea

2020 “ 42nd Annual Juried Art Exhibition, Monmouth Museum, Main gallery, N.J.

2020 Serendipity,& Golden show online, Townley gallery, NY, NY.

2019 NJ SEOUL "new art from the korean diaspora" Gallery Bergen, NJ

2016 Seoul - New York Project, Riverside gallery, NJ

2015 ARTMORA gallery, NY,NY

2015 “Stories” KCC gallery, NJ

2013 LUMINOSITY, Radianceart gallery, west hollywood, CA

2012 "sense or non sense" Gallery Bennett, NJ

2007~2008 Winter 0708, Art Gate gallery New York,NY

2007 AWCA member show Art center Northern NJ, New Milford, NJ

2006 AWCA member show Bellski Museum Closter,NJ

2005 AWCA member show Fair Lawn Library, Fair Lawn, NJ fall art show ACC gallery,Fort Lee, NJ holiday

show ACC gallery,Fort Lee, NJ

2003 spring show Parker gallery Fort Lee, NJ

2000 self & other , Gallery Korea, New York

1999 "New Millennium Show” Lindenberg gallery, New York

1998 "on threshold", Generous & Miracles gallery, New York

1997 Group Show, reggio gallery, New York

1997 This Media,NYU Cantor Media Center, New York

1993-92 "ORIGIN", Fine arts Center, Kwanhoon gallery, Seoul

1992 The Seoul Method Exhibition, Fine Art Center

1992-89 The Seoul contemporary Art Festival, Fine arts Center

1992-88 "Mass-9", Fine arts Center, Seoul

1991 Development and Extention of Contemporary Fine arts,Kum-Ho gallery, Kwang-Joo

1990-92 "THE PHASE" Kwanhoon gallery, Seoul

1988-85 Hong-Ik Print Making group exhibition, Fine arts Center, Seoul

1990 "Dong-E 4333" Hyun-Dae gallery, Seoul1989 One Twelfth Exhibition, Kwanhoon gallery, Seoul

1989 Korea Contemporary of 30 Artists Exhibition, Berlin Germany

1989 Contemporary Art by 10 Artists, Cheongnam gallery, Seoul

1988 Contemporary Print Combined Exhibition,Hyun-Dae gallery, Seoul

1987 A time Expression 15 Artists Exhibition, Batanggol gallery, Seoul

1985 Frontier Art Festival, Seok gallery, Seoul

1985 BAHIA Papelarte Exhibition, Bahia, Brazil

Selected Public Collections

SAMSUNG ,Seoul Korea

Korean community Center, New Jersey, U.S.A.


Published

2024 cove image on the book, ABCs of Immigration, Asian Heritage Committee, Bergen Community College, NJ


Thesis

1992 “A study on Egon Schiele's erotic paintings” Hong Ik Univ. Seoul, Korea

WORKS

Locations and Hours

Address

Opening Hours

C1

Manhattan
150 West 55th Street

New York, NY 10019

C2

Middletown
16 Grove Street

Middletown, NY 10940

C3

Englewood - Private Viewing
455 Booth Avenue
Englewood, NJ 07631

C4

Oakwood Premier COEX Center Seoul
46 Teheran-ro 87-gil, B2 8-ho

Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea

TUE - THU

FRI - SAT
​​SUN / MON

  11 AM - 6 PM

  11 AM - 7 PM
* by Appointment

 * by Appointment

 * by Appointment

TUE - SAT

SUN / MON

  11 :30AM - 6 PM

 * by Appointment

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