Justin N. Kim

Biography
Justin N. Kim (b. 1989) explores the quotidian moments of human relationships throughout his practice. His interwoven paintings, from the Bigger Than Myself series, reflect the concept that everything is interconnected and occurs simultaneously, with each line and color distinct yet overlapping. Kim draws inspiration from systems with underlying structures like architecture, cartography, fashion, technology, machinery, and weightlifting.

Justin N. Kim is a painter born in Incheon, South Korea and now lives and works in Los Angeles, CA. Kim has shown widely at venues like the Torrance Art Museum in Torrance, CA,  the Irvine Fine Arts Center in Irvine, CA, Berry Campbell Gallery in New York City, NY, and the Bemis Center in Omaha, NE, among others. His work has been featured in The Korea Daily, Create! Magazine, Voyage LA, and more. He holds an MFA from California State University.

In my paintings, I re-contextualize the visual elements drawn from these subjects and from quotidian human encounters, and I reconstruct and reorganize them. Comprised of lines and shapes, the colorful, geometric compositions undergo a countless procedure of create-and-destroy, resulting in a cause-and-effect phenomenon; each layer interacts and communicates with the others, creating its own connections and relationships. —Justin N. Kim

Education
MFA, California State University, Northridge

Single Subject Teaching Credential, California State University, Fresno

BA, California State University, Fresno

Solo Exhibitions
2024
The Light of My Own, Alt Projects, Los Angeles, CA
Solo Show, Olympia Club, Santa Monica, CA

2023
My Kind of Town, C4 Gallery, Santa Clarita, CA

2022
From Me to You in Different Places and Memories, George Billis Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2018
MFA Graduate Exhibition, CSUN Main Gallery, Northridge, CA

2015
Solo Show ,Robert Ogata’s Studio, Fresno, CA

2014
Solo Show, CMAC, Fresno, CA

Group Exhibitions
2025
Trio, Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, NM
Redacted Li, Gallery Thirtysix, Los Angeles, CA
Recover, Cedar-Sinai, Los Angeles, CA
The Rite of Spring, la BEAST, Los Angeles, CA
Postcard From The Edge, Berry Campbell Gallery, NYC, NY
LA Fire Relief Fundraiser, Hashimoto Contemporary, Online

2024
Dual Expression, Object Culture, Palm Springs, CA
Over the Rainbow, Toy Bin Art, Santa Monica, CA
MAS Attack!, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
The Middle Becomes Eclectic, The Middle Room Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Fall Group Show, Keystone Studios, Los Angeles, CA
Nomad III / Tryst II, Torrance Art Museum, Torrance, CA
Open Call Exhibition 2024, MEPAINTSME, Online
All Media, Irvine Fine Arts Center, Irvine, CA
Artspan 50th Golden Auction, Heron Arts, San Francisco, CA
Venice Family Clinic Art Auction, Venice Family Clinic, Venice, CA
Artists to Watch: California, Clars Auction Gallery, Oakland, CA
42nd Annual California Cool Art Auction, Laguna Art Museum, Laguna Beach, CA
Postcard From The Edge, Berry Campbell Gallery, NYC, NY
First Up, Morada Place, Los Angeles, CA

2023
Apophenia 70th Anniversary Exhibition, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Trunk Show, Stephanie Breitbard Fine Arts, Online
Benefit Art Auction Exhibition, Bemis Center, Nebraska, NE
Art in the Yard III: Thresholds of Abstraction, BAM Art Advisory, Larchmont, NY
Acts of Liberation Curated by Taylor Bythewood-Porter, Saatchi Art, Santa Monica, CA
2 Day/ 400 Show, Rory Devine Fine Art, Los Angeles, CA
The Cityscape Show XIII: Close to Home, Billis Williams Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Venice Family Clinic Art Benefit Auction, Runway, Playa Vista, CA
VIM, Zinc Contemporary, Online

2022
Outside In: Textures and Abstractions, BAM Art Advisory, Larchmont, NY
Begin/Again, Open Mind Art Space, Los Angeles, CA
Light of Day: Rejects Reconsidered, The Lodger Gallery, Online
Centered on the Center, Huntington Beach Art Center, Huntington Beach, CA

2021
Trunk Show, Simon Breitbard Fine Arts, Online
Keep On Keepin’ On 2021 Annual Postcard Show, A.I.R. Gallery, Brooklyn, NYC
Spring Forward, A Way Gallery, Online
Suspension: Art in the Age of Quarantine, Gallery Baird, Online
Fresh Perspectives: Pt. 2, London Painting Club, Online

2020
Disrupting the Stillness, The Visionary Projects x Co-curated and Juried by Mikael Eskilsson (Lohme Art Gallery), Online
Creative Distancing: An Exhibition of Community Creativity, Art Museum of South Texas, Online
Calling Across the Distance, Emergent Art Space, Online

2019
CA Open Exhibition Juried by Ruth Weisberg, Tag Gallery, Los Angeles, CA

2018
Us, Madrid Theatre, Encino, CA

2017
Group Show, Madrid Theatre, Encino, CA
Annual Juried Art Student Exhibition, CSUN Main Gallery, Northridge, CA

2016
Call and Response, CSUN West Gallery, Northridge, CA
Students Make Art for Earth Day, CSUN Student Union Square, Northridge, CA
Annual Juried Art Student Exhibition, CSUN Main Gallery, Northridge, CA

2015
New MFA: Two Guys One Shed, CSUN SHED Gallery, Northridge, CA
Arthop, Arthouse Fresno, CA

Press
2024
Maxwell Rabb,Atlanta Art Fair’s Lively Debut Positions the City as a Rising Art Hub, Artsy.net
Lee Eun-young, Justin N. Kim Continues the lineage of Korean monochrome painting presents color field painting, The Korean Daily Newspaper 
Issue #43 Create! Magazine Juried by Jennifer Rizzo

2023
Aaricka Washington, How to LA Ep #192 Documenting LA In Oil Paints, Block By Block, LAist

2022
Volume 15, Friend of the Artist
November Issue Interview, Voyage LA

2021
The Studio Image Project, Friend of the Artist
Aylin Kumdagezer, Justin N. Kim, Masterpiece magazine 41st Issue, pg 21-25

2020
Meet Justin N. Kim | Painter, Shoutout LA, September 15

2018
The Northridge Review

2016
The collection of design works of students from China and America, Sanda and CSUN Catalog, pg 52
Jame Fike, CSUN students make art for Earth Day, Daily Sundial, April 21

Press Release
2025 Trio at Richard Levy Gallery 
2024 Richard Levy Gallery at Atlanta Art Fair