Kim Insoon is an artist who pioneered women’s art and established the groundwork for activist art focused on social transformation. Influenced by socially engaged literature and realism aesthetics that surfaced in the late 1970s, she formed an artistic philosophy centered on the “liberation of human life.” Her prominence rose in 1986 with her participation in the second October Gathering exhibition From Half to Whole at Min Art Gallery (Geurim Madang Min) in Seoul, where she shed light on the conditions of women in a patriarchal society. During this exhibition, she showcased works grounded in her own experiences, critiquing patriarchy, while acknowledging her limited understanding of the profound struggles faced by grassroots-level women. Aligning with like-minded women artists committed to illustrating the authentic experiences of women, she co-founded the Women’s Art Division within the National Art Association in December 1986, which was renamed in 1988 as the Women’s Art Research Society. The Women’s Art Division joined the Korean Women’s Associations United, a coalition of 21 national women’s organizations, which was established in September 1987. Collaborating with women scholars and cultural activists, they engaged in various lectures and discussions, delving into the social realities women encounter. These efforts led to the development of feminist topics like women and labor, women and sexuality, and women and history, illustrating the diverse experiences of women as socially and class-defined “others.” From 1987 onwards, they organized the thematic annual exhibition Women and Reality (1987–1994), serving both as a showcase for their artistic endeavors and a catalyst for public dialogue. They particularly focused on women’s rights issues related to state-sanctioned violence, sexual commodification, and exploitation. This thematic exploration was grounded in the activism of women’s organizations that brought societal attention to sexual violence, highlighted by incidents such as the Goheung and Bucheon police sexual assault cases in the late 1980s. Aligned with these groups, Kim Insoon, angered by the systemic disregard for women victimized by state power, created artworks that detailed these cases, thus contributing significantly to their broader societal discussion.

A Rape Committed in the Police Station is a work based on an actual event from December 5, 1988, where two police officers at the Daehyeon 1-dong police box in Buk-gu, Daegu sexually assaulted Kang Jeong-sun, a woman returning home. This incident was pivotal in transforming Kim Insoon into an activist for women’s rights. The painting reconstructs the narrative, centering on the tearful victim in blue prison garb, handcuffed, surrounded by tightly constructed portrayals of the incident. To the victim’s right, the assault is depicted, while above, prosecutors and judges in cahoots with police attempt to cover up the crime, and onlookers point fingers at the victim. Their contemptible demeanor reflects the reality where the victim was paradoxically detained on false accusations of adultery and false charges filed by the perpetrator and her ex-husband, contrasting sharply with the ethical mandates of “justice,” “kindness,” and “service” that public authority is supposed to uphold. On the right of the canvas are the perpetrators, and on the left are the allies who supported the victim. A lawyer who compiled a hefty 200-page brief to refute the police’s evidence is depicted pointing at the guilty group, embodying the legal battle fought on behalf of the victim. Alongside this, figures of women’s organization members who aided in restoring the victim’s rights fill the scene. The placards held by the women feature hand painted slogans with “Daegu Women’s Association” written beneath them. These signify the dedicated cooperation of the group, which gathered firsthand testimonies related to the incident and submitted dozens of recorded transcripts. Korean Women’s Associations United supported through various means, including petitions, street protests, and attending public trials. Kim conducted detailed interviews with the victim and associates to thoroughly understand the individuals and circumstances surrounding the case. She then meticulously reconstructed on canvas the emergence of the incident, the court proceedings, and the solidarity of women activists, seeking to bring recurrent sexual assault cases into public discourse through art. The artwork particularly commends Kang’s courage in confronting the authoritarian abuse of power, symbolizing a stand against the stigma and psychological trauma faced by assault survivors. In 1989, this impactful piece debuted at the third exhibition of Women and Reality: Women Holding the Lifeline of the Nation! at Min Art Gallery in Seoul and subsequently toured women’s organizations and universities nationwide.
 

Kim In Soon (1941- ) graduated from the Department of Applied Arts at the College of Art & Design, Ewha Womans University in 1962. Kim In Soon held solo exhibitions including 《Solo Exhibition, Kim In-Soon》 (Kwanhoon Gallery, Seoul, 1984), 《Women, Human, and Spirit of Art》 (21st Century Gallery, Seoul, 1995), and 《At a Slow Step》 (Hangaram Art Museum, Seoul Arts Center, Seoul, 2005). She participated in group exhibitions such as 《From Half to One》 (Geurimmadang Min, Seoul, 1986), 《Northeastern Asia and 3rd World Art》 (Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, 1997), 《Women's Art Festival 99: Patjis on Parade》 (Seoul Arts Center, Seoul, 1999), 《Another History of Art: Representation of Femininity》 (Ehwa Womans University Museum, Seoul, 2002), 《Art toward the Society: Realism in Korean Art 1945-2005》 (The Niigata Bandaijima Art Museum and other museums, Niigata and other cities, Japan, 2007), and 《Herstory Review》 (Seoul Museum of Art, Seoul, 2020). Kim In Soon continuously contemplated the relationship between art and society through her interest in engagement literature and her activities in Reality and Utterance (Hyunsil-gwa Baleun) in the 1980s. In her first solo exhibition in 1984, she showed a realistic critical view of the historical meaning of human suffering, sadness, and the memories of war. In 1985, she formed the Siwol Gathering with Kim Jin-suk and Yun Suknam, which became the beginning of the first women’s art movement in South Korea. They referred to themselves as “painting laborers” and achieved the essence of realism, namely contemporaneity and site specificity, by directly visiting locations, collecting objective data, and producing works based on their research. She has served as a board member of the The Council of Korean Women Workers (Hanguk Yeoseong Nodongja Hyeobuihoe) and Women’s Culture and Art Planning Organization.