The cover of “33 Korean Artists by 33 Best Critics” Provided by Kim Daljin Art Research Institute

After a long dry spell for lovers of contemporary art books, several volumes in English have been published this year. The latest is “33 Korean Artists by 33 Best Critics,” from the Kim Daljin Art Research Center this month. 

The 176-page book with Korean and English texts and color pictures is a compilation of essays by 33 critics about artists who may not be widely known, but are worthy of notice. Each of the 33 critics recommends a promising artist. 

Yoo Jae-kil, professor of art studies at Hongik University, picked media artist Kim Joon. Kim’s “images of tattoos and his painterly experiment of media art will remain as a plastic language representative of our time,” Yoo wrote.

Seo Seong-rok, professor of art at Andong University, recommended Lee Seo-mi. She makes paintings with pop-ups, which resemble children’s book illustrations. Seo calls her an “inexhaustible storyteller.”

Kim Hong-hui, director of the Seoul Museum of Art, wrote about sculptor Kim Joo-hyun, who builds geometric units into giant organic forms. The artist “wants to create a metaphor for the ecosystem relying on individual interactions,” according to the critic. 

Other critics include Choi Tae-man, Oh Kwang-su, Song Mi-sook and Yoon Jin-sup. 

“I hope this book will be a base for Korean artists on which to build international influence,” said Kim Daljin, head of the art research institute. 

- 코리아중앙데일리 2012.9.26

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