Sang Woo Kim
Revolutionising The Industry One Step At A Time
Sang Woo Kim is an artist and model whose current body of work focuses on the challenges of identity; he balances the duality of his creative professions with the realities of being a Korean immigrant brought up in London. Although modelling for international brands such as Burberry, Diesel, DKNY and Dolce & Gabanna supported his studies at Goldsmiths and Central St Martins, he's often found himself to be taken less seriously as an artist as a result. A few hours in his Bethnal Green studio after a direct call to his Instagram account, and I couldn't be more convinced of how focused Sang is on making art and developing his style.
As suggested by the photographs and materials spread across the studio floor, his work is spontaneous and intuitive. Magazines like W Magazine, Dansk, I-D and Dazed and Confused are also starting to acknowledge his role as an artist as they place his drawings and paintings alongside editorial and portraits. Favourite artists include Lucien Freud, Franz Kline and Willem de Kooning. He has a passion for not only creating beautiful and politically-engaged work, but also organising group exhibitions. These continue to support emerging artists from the UK to Berlin and vice versa, proving his long-term commitment to growing as both an artist and curator.
Where’s your favourite city?
Sang Woo Kim: London is my favourite city in the world. I lived here all my life, and I love it. I go to New York quite a lot, but after two days it’s a bit much. Also, everyone in London is so different, and a lot of people appreciate these differences. I love the Barbican Centre; it’s one of my favourite places. It’s like Utopia. When you go there, it’s like being on a different planet.
What made you get into art?
Sang Woo Kim: I won a BBC poster competition about global warming, and my parents saw that I was quite artistic and had creative ability. At the same time, as Korean parents, they said no to Fine Art. They said, “You have to be a doctor, a lawyer…”. My older brother went to Oxford University, so I was fucked from the start! I’ve always been quite a creative person; I was always in the art studios at school. I got a lot of banter at school as I smelt really bad because I was in the darkroom all the time.