The KIM In Soon Collection Rise Up for Life 

Kim In Soon (b. 1941) is a Korean feminist artist. Valuing the aesthetics of realism, she expressed the social realities of Korean women through her art. While engaged in the women’s liberation movement, she discovered “a healthy beauty that changes society” and explored femininity. Kim emphasized the positive power and vitality of women and sought to establish an indigenous Korean feminist art using national figurative languages. In 2020, Kim In Soon gifted 106 artworks from her Yangpyeong studio to the Seoul Museum of Art to support the study of Korean feminist art and the preservation of art historical records. The gifted works include 96 of her pieces and 10 banner paintings co-created by the Women’s Art Research Society (1986–95), the women’s art group Dungji (1987–89), and the Labor Art Committee (1990–92), which were active in the women’s art movement.

The KIM In Soon Collection is a vital resource that showcases the development of Korean feminist art. Influenced by the women’s movement of the 1980s, female artists created works that spoke to the realities of women's lives. Kim initiated the October Gathering - From Half to Whole (1986), recorded as the first feminist exhibition in Korea. She organized the Women’s Art Research Society and the women’s art group Dungji to depict the realities faced by women in a patriarchal society. Furthermore, she delved into the unique value of women’s experiences, and emphasis on “motherhood,” likening the existence of women who produce and nurture life even in harsh environments to ‘roots.’ As a founding member of the National Art Association in 1985, she was deeply concerned with class realities, women's labor, and childcare. Also, she explored “history,” “unification,” and “national landscapes” from a woman’s perspective. The Collection encompasses the breadth of Korean women’s history and the context of Korean feminist art, including works from the annual exhibition Women and Reality (1987–94). 

Exhibition Layout 

Rise Up for Life explores Kim In Soon’s artistic engagement with the theme of women. Her feminist perspective originates from the longstanding trials and jubilations of the female experience. Kim believed that the robust will and life energy of women are pivotal in steering humanity toward a future marked by equality and brightness. The exhibition is structured in three sections, featuring a total of 20 works and accompanying archives. 

[1] The first section, “As Being a Woman,” examines how the narratives of women, often marginalized and erased in historical and contemporary times, are reconstructed in art. 

[2] The second section, “Grasping Beauty,” observes the resilience of women who have triumphed over adversities and the inherent femininity of nature that blooms even in desolate environments. 

[3] The final section, “Life, a Journey of Light,” reflects on Kim’s contemplation of the cosmic and creative value of women encapsulating the blessings and joy of procreation in the national art style. 

Through the Kim In Soon Collection, Rise Up for Life aims to enhance interest in Korean feminist art and foster diverse research and discussions.