By Woo Jae-yeon
At Hongik University’s College of Fine Arts, Kim Dae-hyun, known by his artist name moonassi, felt his peers were focused on larger-than-life concepts, such as the reinvention of oriental painting or the definition of Korean identity, often dismissing everyday experiences as insignificant.
After reflecting on his internal struggles, he arrived at a profound realization: the accumulation of his daily experiences – his life in Korea, in this specific time – uniquely defined him. These experiences, he understood, were special and irreplaceable.
“I believed that if I poured my heart into each moment, it could resonate with others as well,” the artist shared in an interview with News Agency at the Space K Seoul Museum of Art on Thursday.
“From that moment forward, I confidently infused this message, this belief, into my art,” he stated.
His paintings, primarily ink on Korean paper, explore themes of inner thoughts and introspection, capturing subtle, fleeting moments of awakened emotions and the inner conflict they sometimes bring.
The muted monochrome palette of blacks, grays, and off-whites, combined with the subjects’ restrained emotional expressions, suggests a psychological tension beneath a calm facade, hinting at profound, unspoken feelings that are palpably present.
Born in Seoul in 1980, moonassi studied oriental painting at Hongik University, renowned for its art program, and began his professional career in 2010.
His artist name, moonassi, originates from the Buddhist term “mu-a,” signifying the non-existence of self, a concept focused on transcending ego-centric thinking.
“The Season We Fade Away,” moonassi’s first solo museum exhibition, concludes on Friday after a two-month run. The exhibition features approximately 30 paintings, including a piece owned by BTS leader RM, a well-known art enthusiast.
Moonassi meticulously plans each painting, conceiving the entire piece in his mind before beginning. He then executes the work line by line, dot by dot, exactly as envisioned. He explained that errors are unacceptable due to the highly absorbent nature of the Korean paper, which offers no possibility of correction.
Regarding his use of color, moonassi clarified that his focus on black isn’t an obsession but rather a belief in its capacity to express everything. He believes there’s still unexplored potential in how the color can be utilized.
“There are numerous shades of black, and the papers themselves possess a range of natural hues,” he noted, adding, “I don’t necessarily need other colors.”
The quiet power of moonassi’s introspective paintings invites viewers to examine their own inner landscapes and confront the depths of their emotional turbulence – a state of mind the artist encourages them to embrace rather than suppress or define.
He recounted moments when he realized that “escaping difficult emotions in pursuit of peace of mind was often impossible.”
Even when escape was possible, it brought no true happiness. “Ultimately, there’s no reason to live without the full spectrum of emotions.”
