Every artist’s journey is defined by discovery—and for Kim JongKu, that discovery lies in redefining material itself. Trained in traditional sculpture in Korea and the UK, Kim’s early success marked him as a leading voice in contemporary Korean art. Yet his most transformative moment came from loss: the theft of his steel sculptures led him to iron powder, a residual material once discarded, now reimagined as a powerful visual language.
This powder—produced in the act of grinding metal—became Kim’s means of drawing, writing, and sculpting impermanence. Through it, he blurs the boundary between creation and erasure, inviting viewers to engage with art as a living process rather than a static object. His work isn’t just seen; it unfolds in time, like a thought materializing in space.
Over the years, Kim’s installations have resonated globally, from the MoMA PS1 residency in New York to solo exhibitions in Seoul and Kansas. These opportunities amplified not only his visibility but also the philosophical undercurrents of his practice—an exploration of transience, memory, and transformation. In each line of iron dust lies a meditation on what it means to build from loss, to find presence in absence, and to turn the ordinary into the extraordinary.
