Minjae Kim
SINGULARITY
Photography by Justin Chung.
Lacquered chair : Hand carved Douglas fir, stained and lacquered. Two is better than one.
August 2021
Interviews with open minded creative people who, like Olivier Garcé & Clio Dimofski, resonate the same passion for collectible design, art and narrative places that defines them.
In our first interview series, we speak to artist Minjae Kim. A self-professed obsessive looker and arranger of forms, Minjae's career has spanned sculpture, installations, and interiors. He is photographed here in his last show at Marta gallery, by the photographer Justin Chung.
How did you end up in New York?
I moved to New York for school in 2015 and have been around ever since. I had just finished my military service in Korea and was itching to move on.
Do you remember your night dreams? What are they?
They fade away rather quickly. But often my favorites are the dreams where I am in an alternative version of a familiar space. Sometimes I have dreams where I find out I had all these extra rooms in my apartment and get very excited by the prospects of the space, then wake up disappointed.
What’s currently your favorite material
Wood is consistently my favorite material to work with. I would like to start working with metal soon.
What is your next idea?
I’m working on a show with my mother Myoung Ae Lee who is a painter based in Korea. It will be a dialogue between us where we are able to address the admiration and influence, we have in each other’s lives and work.
What book is on your bedside table?
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong.
What is your fetish object?
I like wooden pillows. They no longer make sense, especially in Western living, but it's a reminder that other dwelling styles exist. Also, it reminds of my grand mother’s place where we spent a lot more time sitting and napping on the floor.
Where is your favorite place?
Quite possibly between my mattress and my blanket.
How do you improve your practice?
I’m really just figuring it out right now and there are so many aspects that go into improving a practice. At the moment I’d say I’m focusing on making more. The takeaways I get each time I try an idea is huge.
Minjae Kim is a Korean artist working in New York with background in architecture and furniture design.
His practice in furniture & objects acts as an antithesis to the restriction in architectural practice in time, scale, and accessibility.
The results are simple, quirky, imperfect, incohesive, impractical, irrational and often emotional one-liners revolving around an idea.
Upholstered Lola Chair
Hand carver Douglas fir, stained and lacquered with boucle upholstery. Same old Lola, just a little cushy.
Floor Lamp with a 'mirror'
Hand carved Douglas fir, stained and lacquered, with quilted fiberglass shade
Some mirrors are better without a reflection
