
HYUNSOO
ALICE
KIM

B I O

Hyunsoo Alice Kim is a multidisciplinary artist, researcher, and educator based in New York, and Seoul. Her art practices are rooted in three sectors: her personal experiences as a “modern nomad”, historical research particularly on Korean Aesthetics, and her expertise in material development. Her research trajectory lies in craftsmanship, technology, sustainability, convergence, and its social impact.
Her unique art and research works have been invited to numerous international exhibitions and conferences including the U.S., Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Germany and France. She is also a recipient of Myers Art Prize, HGA Research Scholarship, and Ministry of Education Research Grant (South Korea).
Hyunsoo holds a BFA in Textiles from Rhode Island School of Design and an MS in Textile Design from Philadelphia University. She also studied at Parsons School of Design (AAS Fashion Marketing) and Central Saint Martins (MA Textile Futures) in London, UK.
She is currently an Ed.DCT (Doctor of Education in College Teaching) candidate, a third-year makerspace/ sculpture studio fellow, and an adjunct instructor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Before coming to Columbia, she was an adjunct professor at Ewha Womans University and Seoul Women’s University for seven years.

A R T I S T S T A T E M E N T


Research on Korean Aesthetics started as a process of finding her own cultural roots when she returned to Korea after several years of study-abroad experiences. Not only it became research foundation of her art forms, her art practice started to evolve around the theme of Korean Aesthetics.
Kim defines Korean Aesthetics as 1) harmony with nature, 2) beauty of curves, 3) practicality (efficiency), 4) modesty, 5) sustainability, as it is commonly found in other forms of Korean traditional culture- from music to fashion to architecture.
1) Beauty of Curves x Harmony with Nature I: Reconciliation with Nature Collection, 2012
2) Beauty of Curves x Harmony with Nature II: Backwards Collection, 2014
3) Beauty of Curves x Harmony with Nature III: Morning Glory, 2018
4) Modesty x Practicality: Woven Moonjar Collection, 2016~
5) Sustainability x Practicality x Social Justice : Sustainable Leather Collection, 2019~