ARTIST STATEMENT
Jean Rim carves paint into pattern.
Rim’s artistic carving process draws inspiration from organic, repetitive arrangements found in nature—the iridescent scales of a fish, the elegance of Fibonacci spirals, concentric circles in water—and these patterned worlds emerge through a careful carving and gauging process that reveals layers of kaleidoscopic color in the underpaint.
She has not abandoned the paintbrush completely, rather she is pushing the boundaries of paint by honing this technique as an ongoing exploration of materiality and medium.
Through this creative and meditative practice, Rim overlays swaths of enamel paint—from matte to opalescent colors—on to circular and square shaped wood surfaces. She then patiently engages with a crust of layered paint, digging into the thick skin of the paint with a chisel to uncover a world of radiant design that manifests itself in the process.
Like an ocean wave that spreads its boundless energy while exposing the glittering luminesce of the seashells carried along in its current, Rim’s intricate bursts of color and pattern emerge and reflect the raw beauty of these interconnected essences: water, wind, the flow of elements. With her art, she aims to capture the hypnotic flux and inexhaustible movement of these ethereal worlds. With some of her pieces, Rim also applies natural dried flowers and collages images onto the flat surface, giving the work a dimensionality and stratum.
The artist is inspired by three things in particular: her mother’s traditional pearl inlaid lacquered Korean furniture known as najeonchilgi, Buddhist mandalas and divine halos, and titular character from The Little Mermaid fable by Hans Christian Andersen. (to read on)
BIO
Jean Rim (b. 1975, Seoul, South Korea) was raised in New York City and Seoul, South Korea.
She is represented by J. Nunez Gallery in The USA and Art Bridge Contemporary in Seoul, South Korea.
She has had several solo shows and her work has been included in various group exhibitions in the USA and Asia including Montclair Art Museum; The Painting Center, NYC; LABSpace, NY; Inman Incubator, NY; Collectors Artist Incubator, LA; Corner Art Space, Seoul; SsangSsangMadang, Seoul; Space Hamilton, Seoul; Rhombus Space, Brooklyn; Trestle Gallery, Brooklyn; and The Yard, NYC.
In 2019 Rim was awarded an artist residency in Cusco, Peru through the non-for-profit Archetopia.
Her work has been featured in various publications and was included in a recent issue of Canvas Rebel in an article that talked about the artist and her practice. Her work is cherished in the various private collections in the world and a show piece for residences and places of business.
Rim received her BFA from Parsons School of Design, NY with a focus in painting and she attended the San Francisco Art Institute, CA as part of her work toward an MFA.
She currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY and guest teaches at Cooper Union School of Art, NY.
What Others are saying...
"Jean Rim’s carved paintings are physical. Unleashing the energetic nourishing potential of art, she incorporates crystals and flowers into her work. Inspired by Korean lacquered and abalone shell inlaid furniture, mandalas, and altars. Her use of iridescent paint and metallic add a shimmer to another dimension, where racism does not exist. Rim references nature directly, and symbolically by carving fish scale-like carved marks on layered painted surfaces. This symbolizes The Little Mermaid’s loss for her transition to land, as an analogy to the immigrant experience; both loosing their voice and finding a way to communicate. Rim was born in Seoul, South Korea and splits her time between Seoul and the United States." Katerina LanFranco of Rhombus Space, NYC