BIOGRAPHY
Hongbin Kim, also known by his artistic name "Vanhada," is a South Korean artist celebrated for his bold and emotionally resonant abstract works. Born in Seoul in 1988, Kim studied painting at Hongik University, where he developed a strong foundation in fine art. He later moved to New York, where he has been an active participant in the city’s dynamic art scene, showcasing his ability to blend traditional Korean aesthetics with contemporary abstract expression.
Kim’s works are marked by vibrant color palettes, raw textures, and a visceral engagement with themes of rupture, healing, and nostalgia. His canvases often feature marks and openings that suggest wounds—physical, emotional, and cultural. These are not mere traces but profound scars, unresolved and alive. As Kim himself reflects, “Here lies a burst, a trace too vast to call a mark and too raw to name a scar.” His paintings delve into the process of regeneration, asking how the foundation that birthed something new might undergo a cleansing and transformative journey.
Kim’s personal experiences of dislocation and adaptation deeply inform his work. Having left his homeland for New York under the guise of study, he grappled with a constant sense of chaos and unease. His longing to return to the place of rupture is palpable in his art, yet he channels the stimuli and stresses of Manhattan life into exaggerated color and dynamic forms. His work becomes a manifestation of nostalgia, a vivid homage to what has been left behind and what has been forged anew.
Notable exhibitions include his participation in RESONANCE at the Korean Cultural Center Gallery in Tenafly, New Jersey, and Unbound Playground at Gallery Jang. Both shows highlighted his unique ability to explore the interplay between chaos and structure, rupture and regeneration. His works resonate with viewers through their emotional depth and dynamic visual language.
Currently living and working in New York, Hongbin Kim continues to use his art to explore the complexities of identity, displacement, and renewal. His paintings invite audiences to reflect on their own experiences of transformation and healing, offering a vivid and deeply personal narrative that bridges cultural and emotional landscapes.
EXHIBITION
2024 "12”, LatchKey Gallery, New York, NY
"The Year of the Dragon”, Culture Lab LIC, Long Island City, NY
“#HASHTAG”, Pree Studio, Seoul, Korea
2023
“Small Works Show”, 440 Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
“WOW”, Art Mora Gallery, Ridgefield Park, NJ
“Off the Wall’, Culture Lab LIC, Long Island City, NY
“FAMILY: Blood or Chosen”, Culture Lab LIC, Long Island City, NY
“New Artists”, Art Mora Gallery, Ridgefield Park, NJ
SOLO EXHIBITION
2023 “One small step for robot, one giant leap for robot kind” (seoul, brown Gallery)
2022 “Black & Blue” solo exhibition (seoul, MBC Smart Center)
2021 “Hello, i am” solo exhibition ( Inchon, star five gallery)
2021 “Hello robot” special exhibition(Busan National Science Museum)
2020 “Contact & untast” solo exhibition (seoul, Jinsan Gallery)
2020 “Robopop” solo exhibition (seoul, Humax Art Room Gallery)
2020 “Robot reboot” solo exhibition (Gwacheon, Starbucks Starlight Gallery)
2019 “Found17“ solo exhibition (seoul, United Gallery)
2018 “Eat your tail” solo exhibition (Inchon, Sparrow Gallery)
WORKS
