[비즈한국] The Tte-Art Gallery in Pyeong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, will host a solo exhibition by artist Herry Kim titled 'Herry Kim: Gentle Universe' from January 16 to 30, 2026. Featuring her persona character 'Smile,' the exhibition will showcase about 40 works, primarily paintings along with ceramic dolls.
The artist has worked across various media—including painting, sculpture, and digital art—transcending the boundaries between physical and virtual spaces. 'Smile,' who appears in all of her works, is a being that drifts between analog, digital, and AX (AI Transformation) timeframes, serving as a metaphor for the complex ways modern people exist. The character is inspired by the hundreds of 'fashion dolls' like Blythe and Barbie that Kim collected since childhood.
'Smile' is the artist’s coordinate system for exploring a complex and ambiguous world, as well as an entity that pursues the beauty of spatial realms. Influenced by 'kawaii' aesthetics, 'Smile' features round forms and exaggerated facial features, acting as a signature where the virtual and reality intersect, based on the human figure.
The artist imbues 'Smile'—who is also an extension of herself—with the wish that no bad things happen to it and that it remains happy. 'Smile' acts as a narrator within the canvas, seeking the possibility of hope in a human world marked by increasing uncertainty.
The character 'Smile' is as cute and friendly as the animation in Michelin tire advertisements. It was inspired by people the artist saw walking along the coastal beaches of California in winter—where she studied and worked—dressed in shorts paired with padded jackets.
The exhibition 'Herry Kim: Gentle Universe' focuses on painting, as the sensory expressions revealed through the brush are closer to her artistic goals than any other medium.
Herry Kim's work aims for a 'gentle and peaceful world.' While our current reality feels like a return to the imperialist era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the artist embeds in her work the desire to show people that a gentle world exists and to encourage them to find peace.
The exhibition will be held at Tte-Art Gallery in Pyeong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, from January 16 to 30, 2026, and admission is free.
Herry Kim graduated from Seoul National University's College of Fine Arts with degrees in Western Painting and Sculpture, and received a Master's degree in Art and Technology from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). Since her 2019 exhibition 'ILOVEYOU' (Seoul), she has held solo exhibitions including 'Living Vicariously Through Us' (California Institute of the Arts, USA) and 'Starlit Syntax' (Upstairs at INE, UK).
She has participated in over 10 group exhibitions and art fairs in countries including South Korea, the U.S., the U.K., Germany, and Spain, such as Art These Days (Seoul, 2025), San Francisco Art Fair (California, 2025), Saatchi Gallery (London, 2023), and Helen J Gallery (Hollywood, 2022), and has also engaged in new media projects. She is currently based in Seoul and Los Angeles.