Following the recognition that Korean monochrome art has recently been garnering in international art circles, artist Kim Ga-beom has been invited to showcase her work in Japan.

Kim, who is considered to have largely contributed to introducing Korean monochrome art -- called “dansaekhwa” -- to American and European art circles, will be exhibiting some 30 of her pieces at the Niche Gallery in Tokyo.

Kim’s paintings have been described as an experiment of form, color and abstract expressionism. Stylistically, she incorporates “the warm, vivid colors of Western art with Oriental strokes,” Kim says on her website.

Regarding the inspiration behind her work, Kim says she “wanted to capture the splendor of a single color inside a canvas.”

Mountains are one of the key themes of Kim’s paintings.

“Mountains evoked in me a sense of awe and reverence, and felt at once simple and magnificent,” she says. “As I followed their colors, it led me to ... a shape that was both material and formless.”

Such opposing forces are notable in Kim’s work. The contrast between hazy objects and a textured surface creates the illusion of a multilayered canvas, as if shadows are glimmering behind a choppy, monochrome facade.

While her expressiveness has been described by critics as seasoned and nuanced, Kim is a late bloomer. Deterred from her ambition of matriculating into art school due to her parents’ objections, Kim married, moved to Los Angeles and lived there for a decade or so. She first dipped her toe into professional painting only in her 40s and held her first exhibition in her 50s.  

Since then, Kim’s works have been met with praise at the Basel, New York and Miami art fairs, reports say, and have also been exhibited at the Seoul Museum of Art. She is currently a member of the Korean Fine Arts Association’s board of directors.

Kim’s Tokyo exhibition will be open until Sept. 30.

By Rumy Doo (bigbird@heraldcorp.com)