Shaping the extraordinary, this is a theme that I as an artist aim to create. The norms and perceptions of the current world create boundaries in people’s minds. By placing animals and nature within my paintings, I seek to use my visual voice to convey my genre with no boundaries. The subjects on my canvas do not correlate with normal ecosystems, food chains, or habitats and sit with abstractive flows of colors. My work mainly strives to address environmental and societal issues. By arranging my subjects, I question: what is the norm, and who defines it? As a contemporary surrealist painter, I create art that disregards—that violates—expectations and is demarcated from vague notions of reality.

Images from my paintings are the reflection of my experiences and influences from contemporary media, and they are expressed in one space as a painting with a juxtaposition of reality, utopia, and future. By arranging the subjects on one surface, I am to create a distinctive genre and translation. My paintings are meant to generate questions and conversation about social issues: What can art do for social issues like environmental problems? Also, I convey the solid message about the social issues that humanity needs to take care of. I work to be an artist who can lead my viewers to act or have a motivation towards the current environmental concerns. Viewers interpret art differently depending on their own culture and experiences. Though their translations may vary, they all seem to be aware that animals in my paintings are threatened. I express that wildlife and humans live on the same earth, but animals' lives are more easily disregarded. Recognizing the problematic endangerment of wildlife is central to transitioning from conflict to coexistence. Animals in my painting are at risk, due to human’s control and ignorance of the environment. Our neglect could create a recurring cycle of development and destruction.

Additionally, as an independent artist and individual of this society, I question myself: Am I making a piece that is positively impactful for social improvement ?  I have been implementing a new progressive perspective in my paintings. My color palette draws from the intersection of being bold, positive, strong, and independent. I imply canvases as a subject that does not have any race, sexuality, ethnicity, or nationality. Painting wildlife animals located in rather unsuitable environments, on the canvas with my color palette, I seek to convey that no stereotypes exist. 

My paintings vary in size and colors. I utilize them from the history of the paintings to contemporary art format to maximize my visual approach. My saturated scenes are inspired by social and cultural trends. Contemporary media and issues are immersed in my paintings, and they are expressed in my bold color palette. While animals in my paintings represent their lives, the window in my paintings portrays our standardized norms that interfere with the possibility of imagination. Also, it acts as an opened door to invite the audience to my translation. How people view art is often connected to what they already know and care about. My responsibility as an artist is to create a distinctive genre that could open up audiences’ imaginations against existing boundaries and further action about the environmental problems. To do so, I attempt to excavate new perspectives and endure to give a better voice about animal’s life.

 Education

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Aug. 2014 – May 2018, BFA in Painting 

EF Academy New York, Class of 2014, International Baccalaureate in Art

Exhibitions

2023

(Upcoming) | Beverly Arts Center – Chicago, IL

Ana Kim Solo Exhibition | LoCa Art – Chicago, IL

2023 Pop-Up | HAC – Chicago, IL

Spring 2023 | Cook County Treasurer – Chicago, IL

Artwalls | Fulton Street Collective – Chicago, IL

2022 

Small Works Winter Show | Woman Made Gallery – Chicago, IL

Ana Kim Solo Exhibition | Kunstmatrix – Virtual

Connected | Hairpin Arts Center – Chicago, IL

PASA Festival | Bitglim Company – Seoul, South Korea

Breathless | Influx Gallery – London, UK

Focus Art Fair | Carrousel du Louvre – Paris, France

Salon de Refuse | Kunsthalle Darmstadt – Darmstadt, Germany

ART-IN-PLACE | Companion Cooperative – Chicago, IL

Salon de Refuse | Companion Cooperative – Chicago, IL

Art for Peace | Hands of Peace – Glenview, IL

Extinction | The Syzygy Project – Virtual 

Contemporary lll |  Boomer Gallery – London, UK

One of a Kind Show |  The Mart – Chicago, IL

Artwalls | Fulton Street Collective – Chicago, IL

Love: In Real Life |  Leslie Wolfe Gallery – Chicago, IL

2021 

The Other Art Fair | Dallas Market Hall – Dallas, TX

The 40 Windows | Global Gallery ArtistRoom Organization – Virtual 

The “6x6” | Blick Art Materials – Chicago, IL 

April 2021 Exhibition | Homewood Arts Council – Virtual

Happy Birthday Chicago | Echoes of Chicago – Virtual

2020

Garden of Colours | Public Gallery – Seoul, South Korea

Spectrum-Xmas | Spectrum Gallery – Seoul, South Korea

2020 Korea Art Management Service Art Rental Project  | Gallery Vinci – Seoul, South Korea

Stubborn Visionaries | Spectrum Gallery – Seoul, South Korea

Every Art – Myeongdong Cathedral Art Fair  | D-Art Yo Gallery – Seoul, South Korea

"Winter 2020" solo exhibition | Yonsei Hospital Eunpyung – Seoul, Korea

2019

2019 T Festa | Myeongdong Tourism Association & Seoul Jung-gu District – Seoul, Korea

SEEA 2019 | Seongnam Arts Center, Gallery 808 – Seongnam, South Korea

Seoul Art Show | COEX – Seoul, South Korea

Catzilla 7 Art | Hairpin Arts center – Chicago, IL

Peace, Love & Understanding | Gallery 1070 – Chicago, IL

3rd Annual Garden Gallery | Sweat Local Chicago – Chicago, IL

4th Esprit Nouveau de la Galarie AIAM | Conseil Gallery – Seoul, South Korea

555 Special | Light Space and Time Art Gallery – Palm Springs, CA

CreativiTea Artist - Collaborate project | Argo Tea 1 S Franklin – Chicago, IL

Winter 2019 | Gallery A-Brick – Seoul, South Korea 

2018

Artrooms Fair Seoul 2018 | Artrooms Fair – Seoul, South Korea

2nd Annual Garden Gallery | Sweat Local Chicago – Chicago, IL

Canvas Chicago | Activate! Chicago – Chicago, IL

Festival Launch: A Night That Pops | Flats Studio – Chicago, IL

2018 BFA Exhibition | Krannert Art Museum – Champaign, IL

Selfish | Independent Media Center  – Champaign, IL

Fighting for Visibility | Asian American Cultural Center – Champaign, IL

Chapter one: Temperature of Colors | Fulton Street Collective - Chicago, IL

Recollection | Union Street Gallery - Chicago Heights, IL 

2017

Painting and New Media Show| Link Gallery - Champaign, IL  

Space for Mind | University YMCA - Champaign, IL 

Self | Block Gallery - Champaign, IL

Asia Fest | Asian American Cultural Center - Champaign, IL 

Painting and Sculpture Show| Link Gallery - Champaign, IL

2015

Art Foundation Show| Link Gallery - Champaign, IL

2014

ART International Baccalaureate Show | Tarrytown, NY

Residency

2023    Connect Residency, Hollie Davis Art

2022    Connect Residency, Hollie Davis Art

2022    The Rumpus Room, The House Theater of Chicago

Awards

2022    Merit of Excellence, Influx Gallery

2019    Special Recognition Award, Light Space and Time Gallery 

Press & Publications

Underground Art and Design."In Conversation: Ana Kim, Unraveling Surrealism and Advocating Environmental Consciousness". 10 May 2023. https://www.uaad.art/post/in-conversation-ana-kim-unraveling-surrealism-and-advocating-environmental-consciousness

Insights of an Eco Artists. "In Conversation: Ana Kim". 20 December 2022. https://www.insightsofayoungecologicalartist.com/features/in-conversation%3A-ana-kim 

Art Web List. 21 June 2022. https://artweblist.com/ana-kim/

The Purposeful Mayonnaise. “A Literary and Art Journal Volume 1. Issue 5”. February/March 2022. https://www.thepurposefulmayo.com/issue-5

The Purposeful Mayonnaise. “The Bagel Hole”. 25 February 2022. https://www.thepurposefulmayo.com/the-bagel-hole-feb-25-22 

Interview with Ana Kim. 06 January 2022. https://www.artjobs.com/arts/interview/ana-kim/interview-ana-kim 

Ana Kim Now: Paintings by Ana Kim. 17 October 2021. https://books.apple.com/us/book/paintings-by-ana-kim/id1590718114?ls=1

Global Gallery Artistroom. “Artist Interview:Twenty Artists”. 1 September 2021. https://www.globalga.org/artists-gallery 

Prisma Art Prize. “”Finalist for 8th Edition”. May 2021. https://www.prismaartprize.com/portfolio_page/window_polar-bear-by-ana-kim/ 

Public Gallery. “Reality Beyond Reality”. Public Gallery. 15 December 2020. https://post.naver.com/viewer/postView.nhn?volumeNo=30232067&memberNo=41384126

Jeong, C. “Spectrum X-mas, COVID19”. Arthub. 1 December 2020.

http://www.arthub.co.kr/sub01/board05_view.htm?No=33641

Gallery Vinci. “Love”. K-ARTSHARING. 13 October 2020. https://www.k-artsharing.kr/cms/brd/noti/boardPostsView.do?_sk=boardPostSchForm_69158F64AE60DF9CAA6D71E563B2D6AA&pstsId=00000000000000000376&pstsDiv=

Jeong, C. “Stubborn Visionaries”. Neolook. 6 October 2020. https://neolook.com/archives/20201006b

Participated

- Art Battle Chicago AB2473-2-5

- “18th Annual Garden Happenings!” hosted by Bucktown Neighborhood and Garden Walk 

-“17th Annual Garden Happenings!” hosted by Bucktown Neighborhood and Garden Walk 

- Art event “Activate! Chicago” hosted by City of Chicago

- Korea Art Management Service Art Rental Project hosted by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Republic of Korea & Korea Art Management Service 

- Art event “T Festa” hosted by Myungdong Tourism Association & Seoul Jung-gu District