Shinae Kim

One is reminded of Henri Matisse, the pioneer of Fauvism and the "colour revolutionary" of 20th-century modern art. He was a master who achieved the "liberation of colour," creating space through intense primary colours, bold brushstrokes, and simplified forms. Turning the critique of "using colours like a wild beast" into high praise, Matisse's style continues to transcend time, inspiring countless contemporary artists. Today, when encountering the works of Shinae Kim, a Korean-Canadian painter based in Toronto, one experiences the marvel of Matisse's passionate liberation of colour seemingly resurrected in all its glory on a 21st-century canvas. Freely crossing the boundaries between the figurative and the abstract, her paintings literally liberate suppressed human emotions through colour, delivering an overwhelming sense of freedom.

The reason Shinae Kim’s work holds a unique position and garners attention in the North American art scene lies in the combination of the sensuality of her oil paints and the rich narratives they contain. Graduating with honors from Canada’s prestigious OCAD University, she employs the 'alla prima' technique, applying multiple layers of oil paint onto the canvas in a single session. This method of intuitively and dynamically building up colours before the paint dries turns her canvases into complex yet exquisitely detailed full-colour palettes. If one were to define her densely packed work, which allows not even a single inch of blank space, in a single phrase, it would be "an explosion of vibrant life energy."