Andy Kim (Kim Myung-Sik), born in Seoul, Korea in 1949, is a celebrated contemporary artist whose career spans nearly five decades and crosses cultural and geographic boundaries. He earned both his Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) and Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Chung-Ang University’s School of Art, immersing himself fully in his creative practice from an early stage.
Since holding his first solo exhibition in 1975, Kim has presented more than 80 solo shows in cities including Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Vancouver, Miami, and New York. His remarkable exhibition history includes a 2010 tour of seven galleries across six major Japanese cities: Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Sapporo, Kobe, and more, further solidifying his international presence.
At 75, Kim remains as active as ever, producing new work and presenting one to two solo exhibitions each year. In 2024, he exhibited at the Mizoe Gallery in Tokyo and Fukuoka, followed by a month-long show at the Busan Korea Asti Gallery in May 2025. His upcoming schedule includes a September exhibition at the Paul Space Gallery near Incheon International Airport, a March 2026 exhibition at Moon Fine Arts Gallery in Seoul, and a special November 2026 presentation at Kawata Gallery in Kobe, Japan. His calendar is already filled with confirmed solo exhibitions for the next two to three years, an impressive testament to his enduring creative drive and global appeal.
Artistic Statement
In Kim’s visual vocabulary, the geometric houses that dominate his canvases are far more than architectural symbols. Each color represents a different community: the white house signifies white people, the yellow house represents Asians, the black house stands for Black communities, and other vibrant colors speak for the diversity of humanity. Together, they form an urban “neighborhood” of coexistence.
The inspiration for this imagery came during Kim’s two-year stay in New York from 2004 to 2005. One morning, while riding Subway No. 7 to his studio, he gazed out at the passing scenery. The houses outside suddenly appeared as human faces roofs becoming heads, windows transforming into eyes, and doors into mouths. Moved by this vision, Kim rushed to his studio and began painting, setting in motion what would become his acclaimed East Side Story series.
Themes of Harmony, Peace, and Hope
Kim’s art is not just about shapes and colors; it’s about people and the way they live together. His paintings reflect the reality that when individuals from different backgrounds share space, differences in opinion are inevitable. Yet rather than focusing on conflict, Kim’s work celebrates the possibility of unity.
Through the arrangement of symbolic houses, he envisions communities where diversity is embraced rather than feared. His compositions use color harmony to convey hope, his forms to suggest stability, and his overall aesthetic to invite reflection on what peaceful coexistence truly means.
Viewers are drawn to Kim’s work because his paintings offer more than visual pleasure; they carry an emotional and philosophical message. They express the timeless human aspiration for understanding, acceptance, and peace.
The “East Side Story” Series
The East Side Story series is one of Kim’s most iconic contributions to contemporary art. Born from that subway ride in New York, it captures the multicultural vibrancy of urban life. The paintings depict neighborhoods of colorful houses that double as faces, each one distinct yet interconnected.
The series captures the dynamic, sometimes chaotic, but ultimately harmonious rhythm of city life. While its inspiration is rooted in the streets of New York, the concept is universally relevant to any place where diverse people share the same community.
Featured Work: East Side-M09 (2024)
Artist: Andy Kim
Title: East Side-M09
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Year: 2024
East Side-M09 is a striking example of Kim’s mature style. In this work, the artist’s signature geometric houses form a balanced yet lively composition. Each shape, precisely rendered in oil, carries its own identity while contributing to the unity of the whole.
The work radiates optimism, with colors that seem to converse across the canvas. It’s an architectural abstraction, but also a portrait of humanity, a visual metaphor for a peaceful coexistence that remains both necessary and possible.
Legacy and Continuing Journey
Over the past 50 years, Andy Kim has become a respected figure in both Korean and international art circles. His work acts as a bridge between Eastern sensibilities and Western modernist influences, between personal memory and shared cultural experience.
Kim’s exhibitions in Asia, North America, and Australia have brought his message of harmony and peace to diverse audiences. His art shows that even the simplest forms can hold profound meaning, and that visual language can cross barriers more effectively than words.
Despite his long career, Kim’s passion for painting is undiminished. His full exhibition schedule and continued experimentation with form and color suggest that his most compelling works may still lie ahead.
Conclusion
Andy Kim’s paintings are more than compositions of shapes and colors; they are meditations on what it means to live together in a complex, multicultural world. By distilling the image of a house into a symbol of human identity, he invites viewers to see themselves and others as part of one interconnected neighborhood.
In a time when global divisions are often highlighted, Kim’s art offers a counterpoint: a hopeful vision where differences coexist within a greater harmony. His work, spanning decades and continents, continues to inspire conversations about unity, respect, and shared humanity, messages that remain as urgent today as when he first began painting them.
